
COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



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THE NEW 

Month of Mary 

OH REFLECTIONS 

FOR EACH DAY OF THE MONTH 

ON THE DIFFERENT TITLES APPLIED TO 

THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD 

IN THE LITANY OF LOEETTO : 

PBINaPALLY DESIGNED POK 

Cbe jVIontb of jVI a y . 

BY THE 

MOST REV. p. R. KENRICK, D.D. 



VICTOEHILL, N. Y. : 

PRESS OF THE VICTORIAN 
1904 



We most heartily approve o! there-publica- 
tion of Archbishop Kenrick^s ''New Month of 
Marj.'^ Though old in years it is new in senti- 
ment, for its beautiful les.sonj haye the per- 
ennial freshness of eternal truths. We com- 
mend it to the patronage of all ardent lovers 
of Mary, Queen of May. ^ ,^ -4 o \ 

Yours in Christ. ^ , 



We approve of ''The New Month of Mary," 
prepared by the Yery Rev. Peter R. Kenrick, 
and recommend the devout exercises which it 
contains, as expressive of high veneration for 
the Ever-blessed Virgin Mother of God, and 
calculated to promote the imitation of her 
virtues. 

Given under our hand at Philadelphia, this 
25th day of April, 1840. 

t FRANCIS PATRICK KENRICK, 
Bp. Arath. and Coadj. Bp. of Philadelphia. 



L » m Lynns t. /r^t 
tCHAS. H. COLTON, . t"-- } 




LIBRIRV of CONGRESS 
Two SoDies Received 

APR 29 1904 




PREFACE 

BY RT. REV. CHARLES H. COLTON, D.D. 



The Alleluias, the Easter Alleluias, are 
ringing in our ears as we pass the joyful pascal 
days, and they find fitting echo in our May 
songs, for with loving hearts we greet our 
Heavenly Mother, and hail her Queen of May. 
Let's bring the lilies white and roses red, and 
twine them with laurel leaves, and violets and 
sweet forget-me-nots, a fitting chap let for-our 
Lady's statue, while with glowing hearts we 
tell her of our love, our hopes, and fears, as 
Queen of Heaven, she sits by the throne of 
her divine Son, fairest of earth's mortals, 
asking graces and blessings for us as her 
chosen children. 

The bright days of May lift up the heart 
and send our thoughts heavenward, and the 
Christian soul is made glad during its sunny 
hours by the thoughts of her to whom its 
beauty and sunshine are consecrated. How 
we glow with pride when we think of Mary, 
Queen of May ! Her virginal purity dazzles us 
with its glory, while her motherly love charms 
us with its tenderness. SuflSce to know that 



iv 



Preface 



she is the Mother of our Lord and Savior, to 
know something of her worth and her work. 
The Son of God would not and could not have 
a Mother unworthy of Him. She must be by 
nature all that nature could be, while by 
grace she is made all that God would have 
her. Therefore was she fair and comely as 
the lily, and as sweet and grateful as the rose in 
mien and in person, while her soul was re- 
splendent with a light and glory which threw a 
sheen and a brightness over her face and form, 
which made her more of spirit than of flesh, 
more of heaven than of earth, and most 
worthy to be the mother of the Son of God, 
because the most worthy of all His creatures. 
Let us then crown her in our May days with 
the brightest and the best of all earth's 
flowers, while we give the love of our hearts 
which these offerings typify. She is our May 
Queen. Her pure virginal life leads us to 
strive for the highest virtues. Thoughts of 
her react upon ourselves, and makes us glow 
with the love of all that is pure and refined in 
nature, and all that is holy and elevating by 
grace. Lovely May Queen— pray that thy 
children may be worthy thy love and thy 
care. 



PREFACE 



The devotion of the faithful towards the 
Mother of God has inspired them to consecrate 
the month of May in a special manner to her 
honor. This pious practice originated in 
Italy ; and the month of May was selected in 
preference to any other, from a wish to 
change a season of dissipation and amuse- 
ment into one of instruction and devotion. 
From Italy it passed into France, and other 
countries of Europe, where it has been found 
productive of the most beneficial results. 
Within the last few years, it has been intro- 
duced into the United States, and has been 
practised by numbers of the faithfal servants 
of Mary, who eagerly profit by this opportun- 
ity of testifying their love and gratitude to 
the Holy Mother of God, and of cultivating 
the virtues which would assimilate them to 
this perfect model of Christians. 

Several works have appeared in Italy and 
France, to aid the faithful in the practice of 
this devotion. The former have generally 
treated of the great moral truths of religion ; 
while those published in France have more par- 



vi 



Frefsbce 



ticularly considered the virtues and preroga- 
tives of the Holy Mother of God. The excellent 
''Mois de Marie," of which a translation has 
been published in Baltimore, is perhaps one 
of the best of this latter class which has ap- 
peared. That the present writer, in presum- 
ing to offer a new Month of Mary to the public, 
may not seem guilty of presumption, he deems 
it but proper to declare, that he has acted 
more in compliance with the wish of a re- 
spected friend, than from any idea that he 
could improve on what had already appeared. 
The Litany of the Blessed Virgin seemed to 
offer him the most suitable plan for the work 
he contemplated; as it would afford the 
opportunity, not only of setting forth the 
privileges and virtues of Mary, but also of ex- 
plaining a form of prayer, which may 
be said to have received the sanction of 
the Church, and which is so generally prac- 
tised by the faithful throughout the world. 
He has been obliged to omit some of the 
titles by which the Blessed Virgin is ad- 
dressed in the Litany ; because he found it 
necessary in most instances to confine him- 
self to the explanation of a single appellation 
each day. Still, the present work may be con- 



Preface 



vii 



Bideredas an explanation of the whole Litany, 
the omitted addresses being synonymous with 
those explained. Thus, for example, the ex- 
planation of the title "Queen of Virgins" has 
been left out, because it had already been given 
in the exposition of the preceding epithet, 
^Tirgin of Virgins." The Author hasendeav- 
ored to place before the pious reader those 
passages of Sacred Scripture, in which the 
prerogatives of Mary are set forth, or which 
the Church employs to describe them. The tes- 
timonies of the Holy Fathers and Doctors of 
the Church, and of others of her children, dis- 
tinguished for piety and learning, have been 
occasionally introduced ; and such moral les- 
sons, as seemed naturally to arise from the 
subject of each title, have been presented to 
the attention of the devout admirer of Mary. 
It is hoped, that none of her privileges or 
prerogatives have been omitted; and that 
most of the virtues, which should adorn her 
servants, will be found inculcated in the little 
work now presented to the public. 

THE AUTHOR, 



*^Roly the womb that bare Rim, 

fydy the brcaets that fed, 
But hoUei* still the royal heart 
Chat in Ris passion bled/* 



PRACTICE 



OF THIS DEVOTION 



1. On the evening before the first of May, 
the persons who unite to practise this 
devotion will assemble before an altar, over 
which is an image of the Blessed Virgin, 
which should be adorned with flowers, and 
other suitable decorations. The Litany of 
Loretto is either said or sung. After this the 
meditation is slowly read by one, in a clear 
and loud voice, and a long pause made at the 
end of each of the three parts into which it 
is divided. The example or edifying narra- 
tive, subjoined to each meditation, is then 
read ; after which the prayer is to be recited, 
in which all should unite, or at least endeavor 
to excite within themselves sentiments 
corresponding with those expressed in the 
prayer. After the ^ ^practice" and ^ ^aspiration'' 
have been read, the hymn of the Blessed Virgin, 
"Bright Mother of our Maker, Hail!" may 
be sung, or the Rosary, or some other ap- 
proved devotion in her honor may be recit- 
ed,^ The practice recommended each day may, 
generally, be performed at the usual hour of 

1 See the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Mary at the end of 
this book. 



X Practice of this Devotion 



assembling, or at any other time of the day 
that may be found most convenient. The as- 
piration should, if possible, be committed to 
memory, so that it might frequently be re- 
peated during the course of each day. 

2. The meditation read each evening 
should be carefully impressed on the memory, 
and made the subject of half, or, at least, a 
quarter of an hour's reflection, on the fol- 
lowing morning. A resolution to practise 
the particular virtue which it inculcates 
should be the fruit of this morning exercise. 
If possible, Mass should be heard each day ; 
and the ordinary devotions to Mary practised 
with more than ordinary fervor and exact- 
ness. 

3. As the object of this devotion is to erad- 
icate vice from the heart, and plant in its 
stead the seed of heavenly virtue, each one 
should prepare for the exercises of this 
month, by approaching the sacraments of 
penance and the holy eucharist. If that 
be not possible, let him excite his heart to 
sincere contrition for having offended God, 
and resolve to take the earliest opportunity 
of being reconciled with him. Each one should 
propose to overcome some vice or failing, to 



Practice of this Devotion xi 



which he is most particularly subject, or in- 
clined ; or to acquire some virtue, or degree 
of virtue, of which he may stand in need, or 
to which the grace of God may prompt him 
to aspire. All the exercises of the month 
should be specially directed to attain this ob- 
ject. 

4. On the tenth and twentieth days of the 
month, it is recommended to examine in 
what manner the exercises of the preceding 
days have been performed; that thus 
whatever neglect or tepidity may have accom- 
panied the practice of this devotion may 
be repented of and avoided. The sacraments 
of penance and the holy eucharist may be re- 
ceived on these days, to obtain pardon for the 
past, and the grace necessary for the due 
discharge of the remaining part of this sal- 
utary devotion. 

5. On the Sunday next immediately follow- 
ing the last day of the month, all those engag- 
ed in this devotion should approach the sac- 
raments of penance and the eucharist. At a 
convenient hour in the afternoon, the act of 
consecration, found at the end of these ex- 
ercises, should be read by the pastor of the 
church in which the devotion has been perform- 



xii Practice of this Devotion 



ed. After this, with the bishop's permission, 
benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament 
should conclude the solemn act of consecra- 
tion. This ceremony might take place on the 
last day of the month, but the following Sun- 
day is generally preferred ; that all may have 
the opportunity of approaching the sacra- 
ments, and that the act of consecration may 
be performed with greater solemnity. 



DeOICHCION 

• • • 

Co her 

whom we all low to honor as 
Our Blcseed Lady of Victory : 
tbi8 reprint Is lovingly dedicated 
by her children 
the Victoria Bo>>s 



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THE 



New Month of Mary 



FIRST DAY 



Holy Mary^ Pray for us. 

**Blessed art thou by thy God in every tab- 
ernacle of Jacob, for in every nation that 
shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall 
be magnified on occasion of thee.'*— Judith 
xiii. 31. 

These words were addressed to Judith, 
when she returned triumphant to Bethulia, 
bearing the head of Holofernes, the leader of 
the enemies of God's people. The life of this 
heroic woman was one of exemplary virtue. 
Deprived at an early age of her husband, 
she consecrated the days of her widowhood 
to the practices of piety and mortification in 
the retirement of her own house. *^She feared 
the Lord very much,"^ and her confidence in 

1 Jud. viii, 8i 



2 The Month of Mary 

his divine protection made her rebuke Ozias, 
the prince of the people of Israel, for having 
determined to deliver up to Holofernes the 
city of Bethulia, unless relief should arrive 
within five days. Nay, more, she laid aside 
^^the garments of her widowhood," and went 
forth to the enemy's camp, trusting in the 
protection, and relying on the assistance of 
God. She knew that ^^His power is not in 
a multitude," but that by her weak arm He 
could defeat the machinations of the host of 
warriors who surrounded the city, and that 
^'the mountains should be moved from the 
foundations with the waters, the rocks should 
melt before the face" ^ of the Lord. The gen- 
tle Achior, who also dwelt in Bethulia, was so 
struck with the proof of the divine power 
manifested in her success, that falling down 
at her feet, he reverenced her, and said: 
^ ^Blessed art thou by thy God in every tab- 
ernacle of Jacob, for in every nation that 
shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall 
be magnified on occasion of thee." 

The Church recognizes in the triumph of 
Judith over Holofernes, the leader of the 
enemies of God's people, an expressive type 
of that triumph by which Mary overcame 



1 Jud. xvi. 18. 



The Month of Mary 3 



Lucifer, the leader of the hosts of rebel angels, 
who sought to involve the human race in his 
crime of disobedience, and the punishment 
with which it was followed. Of her it was said 
by God to the serpent,— the murderer from the 
beginning: ^^She shall crush thy head." ^ By 
bringing forth Jesus Christ, the Kedeemer of 
the world, she has, in her Divine Son,triumphed 
over the arch enemy of our race. She was in 
a much more special manner blessed among 
women'' ^ than even Judith. This heroic wom- 
an did, indeed, save her people from a great 
temporal calamity ; but Mary has "prevented 
our ruin in the presence of God,"^ by bringing 
forth Him who blotted out "the handwriting 
of the decree that was against us— fastening 
it to the cross."* Mary, an humble virgin, 
was the instrument of God's mercy and power ; 
because "He regarded her humility," and saw 
in her nothing to render her unworthy to co- 
operate with Him in the great work of man's 
redemption. 

Holiness of life is the best preparation by 
which we can render ourselves capable of 
corresponding with God's designs upon us. 
Had the piety of Judith been of an ordinary 
character, would she have ever been chosen 

1 Gen. iii. 15. 2 Luke! i. 42. 3 ju^. xiii, 25. * ool. ii. U. 



4 The Month of Mary 

to be a type of Mary's triumph ? would she 
have been capable of such an effort of zeal ? 
would God have inspired her with so much 
courage, and given to her weak arm so much 
strength ? Had the sanctity of Mary been less 
transcendent, would she have been selected to 
be the mother of Him who is holiness itself? 
If, then, we would correspond with the designs 
of God, we must make holiness of life the first 
and principal object of our solicitude. God 
wants not our wealth, for *^the earth is his, 
and the fulness thereof." He stands not in 
need of ourtaJents and learning for "He gi vet h 
understanding to little ones:'^ He requires 
not our services, however important or 
indispensable they may appear to be : but 
this he demands ; that we do his will, which is 
"our sanctification." If we aim at the per- 
fection of virtue, and endeavor to become fit 
instruments in his hands, by unreservedly 
devoting ourselves to his service ;— although 
poor, like the apostles, we shall, like them, 
enrich others ; although not gifted with great 
talents, we shall be truly wise, by being wise 
unto salvation ; and, whatever be our sta- 
tion, we shall contribute more effectually to 
God's glory, than otherwise we could, by the 



The Month of Mary 5 

most abundant alms, the most brilliant 
talents, or the most devoted zeal. Holiness 
of life is then the one thing necessary. Where 
shall we find so perfect a model of holiness 
among mere creatures, as in Mary; or where 
shall we behold how wonderfully God rewards 
sanctity better than in her extraordinary 
dignity of Mother of God ? 

Example. 

Saint John Berchmans was born on the 
13th of March, 1599, at Diest, a small town of 
Brabant. At seven years of age, he was accus- 
tomed to rise at an early hour, that he might 
thus have more time for study and prayer. 
He usually served many masses; and the facil- 
ity with which he learned his lessons, proved 
that the time he spent in church was not 
lost. It might be said of him,—- as was said of 
St^ Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzen, while 
they were students at Athens,— that he only 
knew two streets, that which led to the church, 
and that which conducted to the school. He 
made his first communion with sentiments of 
the most lively faith and tender piety, and 
ever afterwards seemed to live for no other 



6 The Month of Mary 

purpose than to love his Divine Savior and 
his most Holy Mother. 

On certain days he would go to pay his de- 
votions to Mary in the neighboring chapel of 
Montaigu. He preferred to walk there alone, 
that he might have the opportunity of pray- 
ing on the way without distraction. On the 
eve of such pilgrimages, he deprived himself 
of his breakfast and dessert, which he gave to 
the poor. So great was his purity, that he 
did not even know the name of the contrary 
vice. He avoided the most distant occasions 
of temptation, and shunned such of his com- 
panions as spoke with unbecoming freedom. 

At the close of his school studies, he was 
admitted into a confraternity of students 
which was established to honor the Mother of 
God, and to induce youth to imitate her virt- 
ues. At the beginning of each month, he 
consulted the director of this congregation, 
to know what were the faults he should 
correct in himself, and what mortification he 
should practise, during the month, in honor 
of his good Mother. Having spent his youth 
so holily, he quitted the world, and entered in- 
to the Society of Jesus. In taking this step, 
he proposed to aim at perfect sanctity, and 



The Month of Mary 7 

the remainder of his life was one con- 
tinual effort to attain perfection. On his 
death bed, he never ceased to recommend de- 
votion to the mother of God, to those around 
him, and said that the least sacrifices pleased 
her, provided they were persevered in. Address- 
ing the Holy Virgin, he said: ^^Do not 
abandon me, Mary ! I am thy son. Thou 
knowest I have vowed obedience to thee." 
After the recommendation of a departing soul 
had been read, he began to sing the "Ave 
Maris Stella," "Bright Mother of our Maker, 
hail!" and at the words, "Exert for us a 
mother's care," his joy displayed itself in the 
extraordinary vivacity of his manner. He 
died on the 13th of August, 1621. He was 
declared "Venerable" by Benedict XIV., in 
1745, and canonized by Leo XIH. in 1888. 

Prayer. 

Yes, Holy Virgin ! blessed be the Lord, who 
has glorified thy name,— who has put it in 
the mouths of all the faithful,— who has im- 
printed it in such a manner on our hearts, 
that, after the holy name of God, and that of 
Jesus, thine should be that which we most 




8 The Month of Mary 

deeply revere, and most frequently repeat. 
Teach me the virtue of this holy name, which 
is sweet as the odor of the most precious 
perfumes, and full of unction and consolation 
for those who invoke it. 0, Holy Mary, 
while I pronounce thy sweet name, I bring to 
mind the entire plan of my redemption, and 
recall, at the same time, my own duties. 
May thy holy name teach me to fulfil them 
punctually : may it protect me in the dangers 
of this life, and particularly at the hour of my 
death. Amen. 

Practice. 

Conceive a great devotion to the name of 
Mary : pronounce it reverently, and ever ac- 
company your invocation of the adorable 
name of Jesus with a devout aspiration to 
Mary, his most Holy Mother. ^^The name of 
Mary," says St. Antonine, "is joy to the 
heart, honey to the mouth, and music to the 
ear.'' 

Aspirajtion. 

May thy name, O Mother of God, be the 
last sound that escapes my lips.— St. Ger- 
manus. 



The Month of Mary 9 



SECOND DAT 



Holy Mother of God, Pray for us. 

*^Marj brought forth her first-born son."— 
Luke ii. 7. 

Mary is the mother of God, because she is 
the mother of Jesus Christ. In this Divine 
Savior, the divine and human natures are 
united in an inconceivable manner, of which, 
however, we may form some idea, although 
imperfect, by considering the union of soul 
and body in man. This union is called hypo- 
static, or personal, because these different 
natures constitute the person of Christ. As 
soul and body, although so essentially differ- 
ent as to render their mutual influence on 
each other inconceivable, are yet so closely 
united as to form but one and the same per- 
son—man ; so the divine and human natures, 
although infinitely distinct, are united in 
the manner above mentioned, and comtitute 



10 The Month of Mary 



one and the same person,— Jesus Christ. 
Jesus Christ is God, and consequently, Mary, 
who is His mother, is the mother of God. She 
is not, indeed, the mother of the divine na- 
ture,which exists from all eternity, and could 
not have had a beginning, as it cannot have 
an end. But, as in speaking of an ordinary 
parent, it is literally true to say, that she 
is mother of the child that she brings 
forth, although the soul, the more noble 
portion of man's nature, is nowise de- 
rived from her, but immediately created by 
God; so, in like manner, it is strictly and 
literally true to say, that Mary is the mother 
of God, because she is the mother of Jesus 
Christ, who unites in his person the two 
natures of God and man. Hence holy 
Elizabeth, when visited by Mary, who had 
conceived the Son of God, exclaimed: 
Whence is this to me, that the mother 
of my Lord should come to me?''^ 
The heretic Nestorius denied that Mary was 
the mother of God, and, by a necessary con- 
sequence, denied the hypostatic or personal 
union of the two natures of God and man in 
Jesus Christ. He thus made void the cross of 
Christ, since it is only this union which im- 



iLuke i. 43. 



The Month of Mary 11 



parts an infinite value to the sufferings en- 
dured by Christ in his human nature. The 
Church condemned this error in the General 
Council of Ephesus, which asserted the glorious 
privilege of Mary, by declaring her to be the 
Mother of God. 

We cannot conceive the greatness of Mary's 
dignity in being made the mother of God, but 
we may learn from her divinely inspired lips 
the cause of this mysterious elevation, which 
so far surpasses our limited conceptions. 
*The Lord," says she, in the canticle with 
which she responded to the pious congratula- 
tions of Elizabeth, *^has regarded the humility 
of his handmaid." It was, then, the humility 
of Mary that, in a special manner, rendered 
her the object of God's complacency. If we 
are to form any estimate of the perfection 
of this virtue in her, by the elevated dignity 
with which God rewarded it, how great must 
have been the humility of her, who, enjoying 
more abundant graces than God had bestowed 
on any other creature, was still particularly 
agreeable to God by the humility with which 
her other extraordinary virtues were accom- 
panied? St. Bernard, when inculcating the 
necessity of this virtue, says of Mary : **With- 



12 The Month of Mary 

out humility, I am certain that even her 
virginity would not have been acceptable to 
God ; for although she pleased him by her vir- 
gin purity, still it was her humility that 
caused her to be made the Mother of God." 

By the mystery of the Incarnation our 
nature has been wonderfully ennobled. Jesus 
Christ, as the son of Mary, is our brother, be- 
ing made in all things like unfco us,— without 
sin. If, then, the humility of Mary was so 
wonderfully rewarded, we should remember 
our obligation to practise this virtue, as that 
which will most assimilate us to our divine 
model, Jesus Christ, the first-born of many 
brethren, and to Mary, his mother by nature, 
and ours by adoption. This is the only con- 
dition on which we can hope to be co-heirs 
with him of that glory which he has acquired 
by humbling himself ^*to death, even to the 
death of the cross." ^ "Learn of me," says he, 
''to be meek and humble of heart. "^ Yes, let us 
learn humility from Him, who,— although the 
Lord of all, God of God, Light of Light,— an- 
nihilated himself, according to the expression 
of the Apostle, by taking on him the lowli- 
ness of our nature, and whose whole life 
was a continual practice of the most pro- 



1 Philip ii. 8. 2 Matth. xi. 29. 



The Month of Mary IS 



found humility. What humility in Him, to 
be born of a poor virgin— to be esteemed the 
son of Joseph— to work at an humble trade- 
to choose poor fishermen for his companions 
—and end his life in the most humiliating, or, 
rather, ignominious manner ! How strongly 
does this humility of Christ condemn our 
pride of birth and ancestry,— our ambition to 
occupy an elevated station,— and our exces- 
sive solicitude when our pride is attacked, by 
the injuries done to our good name. Ah ! let 
us look on the mysterious humiliations of the 
Son of God; let us look on the transcendent 
rewards he has bestowed on the humility of 
his Virgin Mother, and let us learn from her 
bright example to imitate Jesus, and "be 
meek and humble of heart." 

ExBjinple. 

St. Edmus, or Edmund, who became Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, in England, was taught 
from his earliest years to love the Most Holy 
Mother of God. When sending him to Paris 
to make his studies, his mother made him 
promise to never allow a day to pass without 
having recommended himself to his heavenly 
protectress. That virtuous mother often 
wrote to him, exhorting him to avoid bad 



14 The Month of Mary 

company, and to frequent the sacraments of 
Penance, and Holy Eucharist : often, too, she 
sent him instruments of penance to repress, she 
said, the bad inchnations that might injure his 
virtue. 

The young man, faithful to the counsels of 
his mother, always showed himself most zeal- 
ous for the glory of the Virgin Mary. He 
went several times a day to prostrate him- 
self before one of her statues, and to mark 
his engagement in the service of the Queen of 
Angels, he placed on the finger of one of her 
statues a ring, on which was engraved the 
whole of the Angelical Salutation. This devo- 
tion, sincere and persevering, was so pleasing 
to the Blessed Mother, that, when after the 
death of Saint Edmund the same prayer was 
found engraved upon his episcopal ring, she 
imparted to it a virtue so miraculous, that 
it was often used in working a great number 
of miracles. A single touch was enough to 
drive away the most loathsome disease. If 
the Angelical Salutation, engraved upon St. 
Edmund's ring was so pleasing to the Blessed 
Mother, and so efficacious in healing the sick, 
that same prayer engraved upon our hearts, 
will be much more pleasing to her, and much 
more efficacious in working wonders. 



The Month of Mary 15 



Prayer. 

O holy Mother of God, I am filled with con- 
fusion in appearing before one so humble and 
so holy as thou art, whereas I am nothing 
but pride and vanity. thou blessed among 
women ! I adore with thee the ineffable mys- 
tery of the incarnation of thy Son, and I beg 
of thee to obtain for me a lively sense of my 
obligation to imitate the humility which He 
teaches me, both in it, and in the other circum- 
stances of His life and death. Mary, pray 
to God for me, and pray without ceasing, as 
thou seest me surrounded with innumerable 
enemies. May I, through thy intercession, 
profit by the excess of thy Son's love : may I 
praise and serve Him on earth, and forever 
be associated with thee in loving and enjoying 
Him in Heaven. Amen. 

Practice. 

Spend five minutes before Jesus Christ in 
the Holy Eucharist, in meditating on the 
mystery of his incarnation. 

Aspiration. 
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me ! 



16 The Month of Mary 



THIRD DAY 



Holy Virgin of Virgins, Pray for us. 

* ^Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a 
son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel/' 
—Isaiah vii. 14. 

In the days of Achaz, king of Juda, about 
742 years before the birth of Christ, Jerusalem 
was beseiged by the united arms of the kings 
of Israel and Syria. They threatened the city, 
not only with the usual consequences of a suc- 
cessful seige, but also with the destruction of 
the royal house of David, in the place of which 
they proposed to establish another dynasty. 
It was in these trying circumstances, when to 
all human appearance the affairs of Juda 
were desperate, that God renewed to the house 
of David, by his prophet Isaiah, the promise 
he had made to that faithful servant, "to 
make his seed endure for evermore, and his 
throne as the days of heaven.''^ Achaz did not 
comply with the prophet's admonition, "to 

iPs.88,30. 



The Month of Mary 17 



ask a sign;" but covering his indifference and 
faithlessness with the cloak of affected respect, 
he said, will not ask, and I will not tempt 
the Lord." Turning from this ungrateful son 
of David, to the house or family of that faithful 
servant of God, the prophet said : 'The Lord 
himself shall give you a sign. Behold a vir- 
gin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his 
name shall be called Emmanuel." By this 
prophecy they were assured that the designs 
of their enemies for the destruction of David's 
race should not be realized. The event fore- 
told by the prophet was not, indeed, to occur 
for several centuries after; but the truth of 
the prediction was manifested by the fulfil- 
ment of other prophecies, made by him on the 
same occasion, and which were accomplished 
within a few years. 

Every detail of the great plan for the redemp- 
tion of man, is calculated to fill us with ad- 
miration : everywhere do we find the evidence 
of the sovereign wisdom which designed, and 
of the omnipotence which executed it. The 
virginal birth of the Messiah was a necessary 
part of the divine economy of the incarnation. 
It was necessary that God and man should be 
united in the person of the Ked^emea*; but as 



18 The Month of Mary 



every ordinary descendant of Adam is involved 
in his transgression, and as God could not as- 
sume a nature sullied with sin, hence the ne- 
cessity of his being born of a virgin, that thus 
he might assume our nature, without partic- 
ipating in our guilt. Wonderful union of 
wisdom and power ! How profound should be 
our reverence for a m^^stery in which every- 
thing is so worthy of God— in which His justice, 
mercy, and holiness are so signally displayed ! 
And what should be our veneration for that 
favored creature, whom God employed as 
the handmaid of His mercy, in the most sub- 
lime and affecting of all mysteries ! 

Before the fruitful virginity of Mary, 
this virtue was but little known among men. 
It is true, that among all nations it was held in 
veneration, probably because all nations had 
more or less distinct notions that the great 
Eedeemer, the hope of whom glimmered 
through the darkness of Gentile traditions, 
was to be born of a virgin. But it was not 
till the accomplishment of Isaiah^s prediction 
in the son of Mary that '^the daughters saw 
her, and called her blessed:*'^ and that the 
psalmist's words were verified: ^^After her 
shall virgins be brought to the king.'^^ 



1 Cant. vii. 8, 2 pg. xliv. 15. 



The Month of Mary 19 



Wherever the name of Mary has been borne 
by the ministers of the Gospel of her Divine 
Son, innumerable virgins, in every age, and 
every clime, of all ranks and conditions of life, 
have consecrated to the '^king of ages, im- 
mortal and invisible," the purest affections of 
their hearts; and have found, in the re- 
linquishment of all earthly pleasures, and in 
the entire and undivided dedication of their 
whole being to God, a purer, more tranquil, 
and more enduring happiness, than falls to 
the lot of souls of a less heroic character. 
Let us raise our eyes to heaven, and behold 
Mary, encircled with this glorious group, 
"these first-fruits to the Lamb and to God," 
who sing "as it were a new canticle," which 
they alone can sing, and "follow the Lamb 
whithersoever he goeth ;" ^ then shall we con- 
ceive the extent and nature of the title by 
which we address her, "Holy Virgin of 
Virgins!" 

Example. 

At the time when St. Gregory the Great 
was Pope, about the year 590, Rome was af- 
flicted by a fearful plague. Every day thou- 
sands died almost instantaneously, so that 

1 Apocalypse xiv. 3, 4. 



20 The Month of Mary 

finally the living were scarcely able to bury the 
numerous dead. 

Pope Gregory ordered prayers, fasts and 
other penances, but all to no avail. The 
plague continued its ravages, until the whole 
city was in despair. When it appeared that 
God had refused to hear the numerous pray- 
ers of the Romans, the Holy Father resolved 
to invoke the Blessed Mother. Priests and 
people carrying the famous picture of the 
Mother of God painted by St. Luke, went in 
solemn procession to the Church of St. Mary 
Major. As the famous picture was borne 
along the streets the plague fled before it, 
not a single new case developed, and those 
who were sick quickly recovered their former 
health. At the same time the people were as- 
tonished to see in the air above the pillar, 
built by the Emperor Adrian, an Angel in 
human form who was in the act of returning 
to its scabbard a sword dripping with blood as 
if to indicate that the justice of God had been 
satisfied. Other angels soon appeared and 
were heard singing in praise of the Most Holy 
Virgin the well known anthem : Regina Coeli 
laetare, alleluia ! Gregory the Great, hearing 
that celestial hymn, cried out as if inspired : 



The Month of Mary 21 



Ora pro nobis Deum ! Alleluia ! Such was the 
origin of the Eegina Coeli, said through the 
whole Paschal time, from Holy Saturday till 
the eve of Trinity Sunday. 

Prayer. 

Behold, my God, the most holy and most 
pure of Virgins, surrounded by the daughters 
of Sion, who celebrate her glory. I adore the 
wonders of thy power manifested in her per- 
son : and I humbly beseech thee to make me 
an imitator of her virtue, according to the 
measure of grace which thou art pleased to 
impart to me. My soul is dedicated to thee 
in baptism ; may it be ever pure and worthy 
to be admitted to the nuptials of the Lamb. 
Let Mary be my model here below ; and may 
she present me hereafter to my heavenly 
spouse, Christ Jesus, who with thee and the 
Holy Ghost, livest and reignest, one God for- 
ever and ever. Amen. 

Practice. 

Devoutly recite the canticle of the ''Magnifi- 
cat," and endeavor to conceive with what 



22 The Month of Mary 

sentiments of joy and gratitude it was first 
chanted by Mary. 

Aspirajtion. 

May He, Mary, who was born of thee to 
save us, through thy prayers receive us. 



FOURTH DAT 

Mother of Divine Grace, Pray for us. 

^^Hail, full of grace/'—Luke i. 28. 

There is nothing more mysterious, or more 
necessary than divine grace. Without it we 
cannot hope to please God, because without it 
we cannot do anything meritorious of eternal 
life. To whom are we indebted for that ines- 
timable gift of God ? To Jesus Christ, who by 
His passion and death, has not only reconcil- 
ed us to His heavenly Father, but has pur- 
chased for us, all the graces of which we stand 



The Month of Mary 23 

in need. '^But not as the offence, so also the 
gift. For if by the offence of one, many died, 
much more the grace of God and the gift by the 
grace of one man, Jesus Christ, hath abound- 
ed unto many." ^ Without this grace, we are 
unable to entertain a good thought, or even 
to pronounce the name of Jesus, in a manner 
conducive to our eternal salvation. ^^With- 
out me," says Christ to his apostles, ^^you 
can do nothmg. ' ' ' ^ As the branch cannot bear 
fruit of itself unless it abide in the vine, so 
neither can you unless you abide in me. I am 
the vine, you are the branches." ^ This grace 
is the gratuitous gift of God, to which we 
have no claim, except as members of the 
mystical body of Christ. He is the mystical 
vine ; if the branches abide in the vine, they 
will bear much fruit; if they be separated from 
it, they must necessarily wither, and be fit for 
nothing else than to be cast into the fire. 

Mary is called the mother of divine grace, 
because she is the mother of Jesus Christ, 
^ Vho is made unto us wisdom, and justice, 
and sanctification, and redemption.''^ God, 
who chose her to be the instrument of His 
mercy, by making her the mother of His Son, 
prepared her for this dignity, by an extraor- 



1 Rom, V. 15. 2 John xv. 4, 5. ^1 Cor. i. 30. 



24 The Month of Mary 

dinarj accumulation of His divine grace. 
Hence, she was saluted by the angel as ^'full 
of grace,"^ an eulogium which we daily ad- 
dress to her in the prayer of the Angelical Sal- 
utation. 'Truly," says St. Bernard, ''is she 
called full of grace, who obtained the grace 
which no other merited." When we reflect 
with gratitude on God's liberality to us, in 
the dispensation of His graces, we should 
never forget that Mary was particularly in- 
strumental in obtaining for us these gifts, by 
compl3dng with all the graces she received 
from God, by which she was rendered worthy 
to conceive Him in her soul, even before she 
became Mother of God. What more powerful 
advocate can we employ with our divine 
Savior, when we petition Him for a partici- 
pation of His graces, than her who gave Him 
to us,— who knows how much we stand in need 
of His divine assistance,— and who desires 
nothing more earnestly than that the king- 
dom of His grace should be diffused through 
all hearts. Let us then adopt the advice of 
St. Bernard : "Let us seek for grace, and seek 
for it through Mary, because such is the will 
of Him, who has been'^ pleased to give us all 
through Mary." 



1 Luke i. 38. 



The Month of Mary 25 



The liberality of God towards us in the dis- 
pensation of His graces, imposes on us an aw- 
ful responsibility, unless we profit by them. 
Besides the graces which we receive in com- 
mon with all men, we cannot but acknowl- 
edge, with sentiments of gratitude, that God 
has been peculiarly bountiful to us,— that he 
has given to us graces which He has not 
vouchsafed to others. Our vocation to be 
members of the Catholic Church, when so 
many millions are estranged from its fold ;— ■ 
the opportunities we have of hearing the 
word of God, and of approaching the sacra- 
ments, are blessings not enjoyed by all. We 
should, however, remember that from those 
to whom much has been given, much will be 
required ; and that, as St. Paul assures us, the 
earth that is often watered with rain from 
heaven, and brings forth briers, is nigh to a 
curse. Let us see, whether our faith in- 
fluences our conduct whether the public 
instructions which we receive increase in 
us the love of God, and strengthen in 
us our determination to serve him;— and 
whether we derive from the sacraments all the 
beneficial results they are calculated to pro- 
duce. Should we find ourselves not to have 



26 The Month of Mary 

corresponded with these graces, let us not de- 
spond, but go with confidence to the throne of 
grace. Although our past infidelity may 
have rendered us unworthy to appear before 
the Savior, whose favors we have slighted, 
Mary will interpose in our behalf :— she will 
procure for us forgiveness for our past neglect 
of grace, and will obtain for us that docility of 
heart, which may render us faithful for the 
time to come. Let us beg of her to secure for 
us, in the hour of our death, the grace of final 
perseverance,— that triumphant grace which 
will crown the measure of supernatural gifts 
here below, and be succeeded by the contem- 
plation and enjoyment of that God from whom 
every good gift descends. 

ExBjinple. 

It is related of Thomas a' Kempis, the au- 
thor of ^The Imitation of Christ," and a very 
devout client of the Blessed Mother, that he 
had a beautiful practice of saying, *^Hail 
Mary," whenever he saw an imageof his Heav- 
enly Queen. That little prayer repeated so oft- 
en, brought upon his soul many and very 
great graces, so that he was blessed above all 
his companions. 



The Month of Mary 27 



However, he had the misfortune to associ- 
ate with some careless companions, who grad- 
ually, by their bad example, were the occasion 
of him giving up his beautiful custom, and 
losing his former love for Holy Communion, 
and even for his studies. That the Blessed 
Mother loved this favored soul, is evident from 
the miracle wrought b^^ her to induce him to 
return to his former piety. 

One night in a dream, Thomas saw the 
Blessed Virgin dispensing many graces upon 
his fellow students. Anxiously awaiting to 
receive the same favors, Mary presented her- 
self before him, ^^What do you expect, said 
she, in a stern voice, "you have ceased to sa- 
lute me? What has become of those Hail 
Marys you so often addressed to me ? Go, in- 
grate, you no longer deserve my protection 

Awakening, Thomas immediately resumed 
his former practice of saluting his Holy Moth- 
er, who blessed him by bestowing upon him 
some of her richest graces. He wept long 
over his past tepidity, avoided all persons 
who might prove an obstacle in the practice 
of his devotions, and attained to great heights 
of sanctity. Such is the manner in which the 
Mother of Divine Grace rewards all her faithful 
children. 



28 The Month of Mary 
Prayer. 

holy Mother 1 in giving Jesus Christ to the 
world, thou hast opened to us the treasures of 
all graces, in which are all the gifts of penance, 
fervor, fidelity, and love. One ray of this 
divine light, one spark of this sacred fire, 
would suffice to render me pure in the eyes of 
thy dear Son. Mary, full of grace I be thou 
my advocate with him; place me near his 
throne, that his precious blood may protect 
me and blot out and efface every thing that has 
displeased him in my past life. *^Hail then, O 
heavenly Mother, the glory and honor of our 
Church. Continually intercede with Jesus, 
that I may obtain mercy through thee in the 
day of judgment, and a participation in those 
good things which God has prepared for those 
who love him.'' ^ Amen. 

Practice. 

Make an act of thanksgiving to Jesus Christ 
for all the graces you have received from Him. 
Beg of Mary to be your advocate and pat- 

1 St. Cbryeostom. 



The Month of Mary 29 



roness with her divine Son. For that purpose 
say the ''Hail Mary/' three times. 

Aspiration. 

Hail, full of grace. 



FIFTH DAT 



Most pure Mother^ Pray for us. 

''Thou art all fair, my love, and there is 
not a spot in thee."--Cant. iv. 7. 

God always adapts the means he employs 
to the end he has in view ; and accordingly he 
prepared the mother of his Son for her high 
destiny by extraordinary privileges. The 
mind cannot for a moment permit itself to 
think this most favored of all creatures, 
who was to be Mother of God, and who was 



30 The Month of Mary 

to co-operate so mysteriously with Him, in 
the great work of human redemption, could 
ever have been the object of God's hatred !— 
could ever have been the slave of the devil by 
sin. Hence the Church, guided as she is by 
the spirit of truth, applies to Mary the words 
addressed to the spouse in the canticles: 
*^Thou art all fair, my love, and there is not 
a spot in thee." This immunity of Mary 
from sin was recognised by the great doctor 
of the Church, St. Augustin, who, after saying 
that all were subject to sin, subjoins : ^ ^except 
the holy Virgin Mary, whom, on account of 
the honor of our Lord, I do not wish to in- 
clude when there is question of sin. For 
hence we know that an abundance of grace 
was given to her, to overcome sin in every 
respect, because she merited to conceive and 
bring forth Him who knew not sin."— St. 
Irenaeus, who had already said, in the 
second century: ^'It was meet that the God 
of all purity should spring from the greatest 
purity, from the most pure bosom." 

Mary's extraordinary privilege consisted, 
not only in being preserved from all actual sin 
and imperfection,~so that she never offended 
God by any sin, however light, and was ever 



The Month of Mary 31 

docile to the inspirations of grace,~but also, 
in being pure and free from the guilt of 
original sin, even in her very conception. If 
St. John the Baptist was sanctified in his 
mother's womb, when visited by Christ and 
his holy Mother, because he was to go ^ ^before 
the face of the^ Lord, to prepare his ways;" 
what shall we say of her, who was connected 
with the same Lord by the closest and 
tenderest of ties by which we can conceive 
the creature to approach the Creator, 
and whose perfect holiness seems so nec- 
essary a consequence of this mysterious 
relation? It is true, that as a child of 
Adam, she was either included in the decree 
by which *^death passed upon all men in whom 
all have sinned," or was specially exempted 
by God from the consequences of Adam's guilt ; 
but in either supposition, she was preserved 
from ever actually incurring original sin, by 
the application of the Eedeemer's merits, 
whom she was to bring forth. God, with whom 
no work is impossible, could as easily have 
prevented her incurring the guilt of original 
sin, as free her from it after she had incurred 
it. The general reason above adduced is equal- 
ly applicable here: and the short but pithy 



32 The Month of Mary 



argument of St. Anselm cannot but produce 
conviction. *^Such a privilege," says this 
saint, ''was suitable to her dignity; it was 
possible for God to confer it ; hence He con- 
ferred it.''^ This was the doctrine of the 
early Church, ''She was not," says Origen, in 
the third century, "contaminated by the 
breath of the serpent."— "She was," says^the 
holy deacon, St. Ephrem, in the fourth century, 
"most pure from all stain of sin."— "To her," 
says St. John of Damascus, "the serpent had 
no access." 

"Holiness becomes thy house, Lord, for 
a length of days." If this be true of the temple 
which was occasionally filled by God's glory, 
and in which he was to receive the petitions of 
his people, how much more true is it of that 
living temple— the Blessed Virgin Mary, in 
whom the whole plenitude of the Deity abode 
for nine months; and who, for thirty-three 
years, enjoyed, almost without interruption, 
the society of Jesus Christ. Let us then hon- 
or the peculiar sanctity of Mary, and rejoice 
with her, on her inestimable privilege of never 
having been, even for an instant, the object of 
God's indignation or displeasure. We should, 
moreover, remember that our own bodies are 

1 Decuit, potuit, ergo fecit.—St. Anselm. 



The Month of Mary 33 



the ^'temples of the Holy Ghost;" and that 
every principle of reason and religion im- 
poses on ns the obligation of keeping them 
pure and undefiled. *^If any man/' says 
the Apostle, ^ ^violate the temple of God, 
him shall God destroy; for the temple of 
God is holy, which you are."^ We should 
not be satisfied with avoiding sin, but should 
aim at perfection, according to the words of 
Christ: "Be ye therefore perfect as also your 
heavenly Father is perfect."^ This perfec- 
tion does not consist in doing extraordinary 
actions, but in doing our ordinary actions ex- 
traordinarily well. It is only necessary to do 
what we at present do with more exactness 
and fervor. If we pray as we ought, and bring 
to the reception of the holy sacraments the 
dispositions which will cause us to derive from 
them all the advantages they are calculated 
to produce ; if, in all our actions, we have the 
greater glory of God steadily before our view, 
and discharge the duties of our state with fi- 
delity, we shall be perfect. This is the perfec- 
tion thafe God requires of us : without it we 
cannot hope to please him. Let us constant- 
ly have the example of the most perfect of 
God's creatures present to our mind ; and 



1 1 Cor. m.7. 2 2Matth. v. 48. 



S4 The Month of Mary 



make Mary our model on earth, that she may 
be our advocate in heaven. 

Example. 

Father Ariemna relates the history of a 
poor shepherdess who had so great a devo- 
tion to the Blessed Virgin that her greatest 
delight was to retire to a small mountain- 
chapel, dedicated to Our Lady. There she 
poured forth her heart in prayer before her 
'^Good Mother,''— -for that was the name by 
which she addressed her,— incessantly repeat- 
ing the angelical salutation, ^^Hail, Mary, full 
of grace. ' ' Her piety found such solid satisfac- 
tion in this simple exercise, that she often re- 
mained in the chapel for several successive 
hours, while her flock pastured before it. 

The image of the Blessed Virgin, which was 
in this chapel, was a simple and unadorned 
statue. This pious maid made for it a rustic, 
but becoming mantle. She made a garland of 
some flowers which she had gathered in the 
neighborhood, and kneeling before the altar, 
she presented it to her *^good Mother,'' say- 
ing: ^'Hail, Mary, full of grace." Then as- 
cending the altar, she placed this simple, but 



The Month of Mary 35 



beautiful crown, on the head of the statue. 
* ^Mother, dear Mother," said she then to 
Mar J, would willingly place on thy head a 
crown enriched with gold and precious jewels ; 
but I am a poor shepherdess, and can only 
offer thee this garland. Accept it as a token 
of my affection. Thou knowest how I love 
thee; I can only say. Hail, Mary." 

Such simple piety, and artless love could not 
pass unrewarded. This zealous servant of 
Mary fell sick, and was soon reduced to the 
last stage of the malady from which she suffer- 
ed. At that time two members of a religious 
order, who were traveling in that district, sat 
down to rest under the refreshing shade of a 
tree. Both fell asleep, and both had precisely 
the same vision. They beheld coming down 
from heaven, like a golden cloud, a band of 
beautiful virgins, in the midst of whom was 
one of surpassing beauty and majesty. On 
being asked, ^^whither she was going?" she re- 
plied, "I am the mother of God, and I am go- 
ing with these holy virgins to visit a dying 
shepherdess, who, during her life, visited me 
frequently." The vision then vanished. On 
awaking from sleep, they communicated to 
each other what they had seen and heard. 



36 The Month of Mary 

*^Let us also go," said they, ^'and visit this 
faithful servant of Mary." Providence con- 
ducted them to the cottage of this perfect 
creature, who had attained a high degree of 
sanctity by the practice of her humble duties. 
They found her,stretched on a pallet of straw, 
exhibitingjin the lily-whiteness of her features, 
the purity of the soul which had distinguished 
her, and in the beautiful expression of her 
countenance, a confirmation of the vision they 
had been favored with. She had just expired. 

Prayer. 

Mary, mother of my God, thou art all 
beautiful, and there is no stain in thee ! Thou 
art beautiful as the moon, and bright as the 
sun, by the stainless purity of thy soul. Thou 
art the glory of Israel, thou art the honor 
of our race. Thou art an object of admira- 
tion for angels and men, who view with 
astonishment the prodigies of God's grace in 
thee. But, holy Virgin, what a lesson does 
thy immaculate purity teach me, who, al- 
though not called to thy supereminent 
dignity, or invested with thy extraordinary 
privileges, am still made to the image and 



The Month of Mary 37 

likeness of God, and commanded to make 
His perfection the limit of my efforts to please 
Him. Do thou, purest of God's creatures, 
do thou obtain for me a pense of the full 
extent of my obligation to be holy; as I serve 
a God who is holiness itself, and look forward 
with hope to that blessed country into which 
nothing defiled can enter. 0, Mary, sweetest 
mother of all true children of Jesus Christ, 
obtain for me the grace to avoid all sin and 
imperfection, and ever aspire after that per- 
fection which will make me imitate thee 
more closely on earth, and entitle me to be 
nearer thee in heaven, where, in thy blessed 
company, I hope to spend a blissful eternity in 
the contemplation and enjoyment of my 
Heavenly Father. Amen. 

Practice. 

Excite yourself to perfection by frequently 
remembering that your glory in heaven will 
be proportioned to your fidelity on earth. 
'There are many mansions in my Father's 
house," says our Divine Savior. Be ambitious 
of attaining a high degree of glory : it will 
last for Eternity. 



38 The Month of Mary 
Aspiration. 

In the odor of thy perfumes we run, holy 
Mother of God ! 



SIXTH DAY 



Mother most chaste, Pray for us. 

"Because thou hast loved chastity, there- 
fore shalt thou be blessed forever. "—Judith 
XV. 2. 

Although the holy woman Judith was dis- 
tinguished for the practice of all the virtues, 
she was especially honored for her love of 
chastity: for although ^^exceedingly beauti- 
fuP' and rich, and deprived of her husband at 
an early age, she spent the days of her wid- 
owhood in the practices of austere retirement. 
But the virginal chastity of Mary was of a 
much higher order, and therefore merited for 



The Month of Mary 39 



her a much greater reward : it was her peculiar 
privilege to possess the joys of motherhood 
and the honor of virginity. When the angel 
announced to her that "she should conceive 
in her womb, and bring forth a son," although 
he declared that he should be the "Son of the 
most high God," Mary hesitated ; because she 
did not comprehend how this could be effected 
without detriment to the virginity she had 
vowed to preserve. The difficulty she found 
in the accomplishment of the angel's promise 
necessarily supposes that she had made a vow 
of perpetual continence, as otherwise such a 
difficulty could not have presented itself to 
her mind. It was only on being told by the 
angel, that it was to be the work of the Holy 
Ghost,and that, "the virtue of the Most High 
should overshadow her," that she gave her 
assent, and received the greatest favor God 
can confer on a pure creature, a favor, how- 
ever, which she would have relinquished, had 
it been incompatible with her virginal purity. 

This great mystery of Mary's virginal ma- 
ternity was typified in the bush which Mo- 
ses saw burning on Horeb without being 
consumed, and from out of which God sent 
him to free the Israelite^ from the bondage of 



40 The Month of Mary 



Egypt— an expressive figure of our deliverance 
from the slavery of the devil by Jesus Christ, 
the Son of this Virgin Mother. St. Bernard 
compares it to the rod of Aaron, which, when 
laid in the ark, budded and blossomed with- 
out having struck root;— to the fleece of 
Gideon, which became moist with dew while 
the ground around remained dry ;— and to the 
eastern gate which Ezekiel saw in a vision, 
and of which ^*the Lord said :— This gate shall 
be shut : it shall not be opened, and no man 
shall pass through it, because the Lord the 
God of Israel hath entered in by it, and it 
shall be shut."^ In the enclosed garden and 
sealed fountain of Solomon, and in the new 
sepulchre in which the body of Jesus was de- 
posited, and in which none other was placed, 
the great doctor of the Church, St. Jerome, 
recognized figures of that perpetual virginity 
of the Mother of God, which he advocated so 
powerfully against Jovinian, and which is an 
article of Catholic faith. Impressed with the 
most profound veneration for the extraordi- 
nary love of purity which Mary possessed, and 
for the great rewards with which God crowned 
it, let us say to her with St. John of Dam- 
ascus: pure and immaculate Queen, save 



I Ezech. xliv. 2. 



The Month of Mary 41 



me,— deliver me from eternal damnation!" 

how beautiful is the chaste generation 
with glory." ^ This virtue, which shines so 
conspicuously bright in Mary, has always been 
the special favorite of Heaven. God delights 
to dwell with pure souls, whom he enriches 
with extraordinary graces here below, and re- 
wards with peculiar glory hereafter. Of them 
it is said by our divine Savior: '^Blessed are 
the clean of heart, for they shall see God."^ 
His love of this virtue may also be seen in the 
punishments He formerly inflicted, and even 
now inflicts, on those guilty of the opposite 
vice. Are we practically convinced of the 
beauty of this virtue ? If so, why are we not 
more careful to shun all the occasions which 
might cause the lustre of it to be tarnished? 
Are not our senses unrestrained ? Do we not 
spend much of our valuable time in reading 
the fashionable productions of the day ; and 
thus lay open for ourselves the source 
of a thousand temptations or unbecoming 
recollections? Are our manners marked with 
that modest reserve without which we are 
sure to disgust, while we endeavor to please ; 
and what is still more to be apprehended, ex- 
pose ourselves and others to offend God? Ah! 

1 Wisdom iv. 1. 2 Matth. v. 8. 



42 The Month of Mary 

let U8 turn our eyes to Mary, in whom God 
has given us a perfect model of purity, and in 
whom he has shown how powerful is His 
grace, when we duly co-operate with it. Such 
w^as the modesty of this most pure virgin, that 
St. Ambrose says, ^'she inspired those who 
beheld her with a love for this most amiable 
virtue.'' Let us guard cautiously this precious 
treasure, which we carry about in frail vessels, 
and be ever mindful that our success in preserv- 
ing it, will be proportioned to the vigilance 
with which we protect it. Let us often raise 
our eyes to Mary, whose name alone is ex- 
pressive of all purity, and beg of her, by her 
love of this virtue, to obtain for us that we 
may sanctify the state in which God has 
placed us, by being holy both in body and in 
spirit. 

Example. 

As Mary is the * 'mother of holy love," she 
regards with peculiar affection pure souls. 
What more special favorite of Heaven and 
brighter example of this virtue can be pro- 
posed as a model to the servants of Mary, 
than St. Aloysius Gonzaga, whom the 



The Month of Mary 43 



Church styles an ^^angelical youth?'' 
Aloysius was devoted to the service of the 
Blessed Virgin by his pious mother, whose 
life was exposed to great danger in his birth ; 
she had recourse to the powerful intercession 
of Mary, to whom she promised to dedicate 
the fruit of her womb. Her prayer was 
heard ; and Aloysius thought he could not 
better employ his life than in consecrat- 
ing it to the service of her, who had obtained 
it for Him. In his childhood he never pro- 
nounced the holy names of ^ 'Jesus and of 
Mary'' without the greatest respect and affec- 
tion, and he soon learned from his pious parent 
to address his ''dear mother," in the words of 
the Angelical Salutation. In his seventh year 
he had his regular hours of prayer, part of 
which consisted in the oflSce of Our Lady. In 
his ninth year he was sent to Florence, for the 
purpose of prosecuting his studies; and his 
progress in learning while in this city, was 
only surpassed by his rapid advances in virtue 
and perfection. He was particularly attached 
to the devotion of the Rosary; and being will- 
ing to do something to testify his affection 
for the Queen of heaven, he thought he could 
not do anything more agreeable to her than 



44 The Month of Mary 

imitate her example, by dedicating his virgin- 
ity to God. This he did, by a vow which he 
pronounced before the rich altar, over which 
is a miraculous picture of the Blessed Virgin, 
in the church of the Annunziata at Florence. 
Mary showed how acceptable was the offering, 
by the abundant graces she obtained for 
the holy youth, who enjoyed in a special 
manner the privileges God ordinarily confers 
on pure souls. His greatest delight was to 
visit a church where his "dear mother" was 
specially venerated; and from his twelfth year 
he fasted in her honor on bread and water on 
all Saturdays, as well as on all the vigils 
of her festivals. Under the influence of her 
inspiration, he resolved to renounce his prince- 
ly title and expectations, and dedicate himself 
to God in the Society of Jesus; and he sought 
through her intercession strength to overcome 
the obstacles which the unwillingness of his 
father opposed to the performance of his res- 
olution. He especially proposed to imitate the 
virtues of this most pure Virgin ; and in his 
love of poverty, humility, obedience, purity, 
love of God and man, he endeavored to prove 
himself a faithful child of his heavenly mother. 
The examples of Jesus and Mary were ever 



The Month of Mary 45 

before his eyes, as the love of them was ever in 
his heart, and their sacred names continually 
on his lips. He died in the twenty-second year 
of his age,--young in years, but matured in 
virtue and perfection, and was proposed to the 
veneration of the faithful in 1626, by Benedict 
XIII., who solemnly canonized him. He may 
not be inaptly styled ''the apostle of youth 
on account of the wonderful influence of his ex- 
ample, and of the tender affection with which 
the pious youth of all countries, most especi- 
ally of Italy, cherish his memory. 

Prayer. 

O Mary, thou art the most fruitful of moth- 
ers, and the chastest of virgins. I vener- 
ate, with the most profound respect, the 
mysterious union of these prerogatives in 
thee ; and I congratulate thee on thy exemp- 
tion from all the miseries of our condition,— 
on thy spotless purity, and on thy divine 
maternity for which it prepared thee. 
Virgin Mother, protect me through thy 
heavenly purity, and defend me against so 
many enemies, who surround me, and seek 
to deprive me of this most precious posses- 



46 The Month of Mary 

sion. Obtain for me, most pure Virgin, the 
grace to aim at the perfection of this virtue, by 
cautious vigilance over my unruly passions, 
and by carefully avoiding whatever might 
render me unworthy to look up to thee as the 
model of my conduct, or prevent thee from 
recognising in me, a faithful and devoted 
child. Mary, mother of pure souls, show 
thyself a mother to me now and at the hour 
of my death, and bring me to the beatitude 
promised to those who are clean of heart— 
the contemplation and enjoyment of God in 
heaven. Amen. 

Practice. 

Commit to memory, and frequently repeat, 
the following prayer, which is recommended 
by spiritual writers as a most efficacious rem- 
edy against temptation. 

Prayer. 

^Through thy sacred virginity and immac- 
ulate conception, most pure Virgin and 
Queen of Angels, obtain for me purity of soul 
and body, in the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.'' 



The Month of Mary 47 
Aspiration. 
Show thyself a Mother I 



SEVENTH DAT 



Amiable Mother, Pray for us. 

"And he sent by the hand of Nathan the 
prophet, and called his name ^amiable to the 
Lord,' because the Lord loved him."— 2 Kings 
xii. 25. 

Tms was the name given by God to Solomon 
at his birth ; because he was the happy son of 
David from whom the Messiah was to descend, 
and because his reign was to be an illustrious 
type of the peaceful glories of the Messiah's 
kingdom. If the Lord loved so remote an 
ancestor of Christ, how much more ^^amiable 
to the Lord" was that favored creature, who 
conceived and brought him forth? When God 



48 The Month of Mary 

created this world, and beheld all the things 
that he had made, he saw that they were good, 
and was pleased in the manifestation of His 
own divine perfections which they presented. 
In Mary he beheld a spotless creature, who,ac- 
cording to the scripture expression, **although 
black was beautiful' '—that is, who although 
belonging to a sinful race, was unsullied by the 
stain of sin, having been exempted, through 
the future merits of her divine Son, from con- 
tracting the guilt, and suffering the conse- 
quences, of Adam's prevarication. Hence 
Richard of St. Laurence writes : '^the Blessed 
Virgin was lovely even in the eyes of God." 

We cannot doubt but that our first parents 
before their fall possessed natural advantages 
which we no longer enjoy. Mary, through 
the divine mercy, was not only placed in the 
same condition as if Adam had never fallen, 
but was, moreover, endowed with gifts, both of 
the natural and supernatural order, in some 
measure proportioned to the greatness of her 
destiny. Hence in the canticle of canticles, 
the spouse, by whom the holy fathers 
understand the blessed Virgin to be signified, 
is called ''the fairest among women," ^ and the 
daughters of Jerusalem are represented as 



iCant. i. 7. 



The Month of Mary 49 



struck with admiration at her beauty, and 
exclaiming, '^Eeturn, return, Sulamitess, 
return, return, that we may behold thee." ^ If 
we admire the wisdom of God, exhibited in 
the beauty of the firmament, or in variety of 
wonders which the earth presents to our 
contemplation, how much more justly are we 
called on to admire the manifestation of the 
same divine perfections in this singularly 
favored creature. ^^Who can refuse to love 
thee, Mary," says St. Bona venture; '^thou 
art more beautiful than the sun; thou art 
sweeter than honey ; to all thou art amiable, 
to all thou art gracious." 

Mary was amiable beyond all other creat- 
ures, because beyond all other creatures she 
reflected the divine perfections in the moral 
qualities of her nature. All that we can con- 
ceive of suavity of disposition, gentleness of 
nature, and kindliness of manner, were found 
in her in a degree far surpassing our concep- 
tions. How many hearts must she have at- 
tracted to God by the amiability of her de- 
portment, in which everything indicated ex- 
alted purity and godliness ! Her look, accord- 
ing to St. Ambrose, inspired all who beheld it 
with a love of purity. How many sinners have 

1 Cant. iv. 1. 



50 The Month of Mary 

been converted to God, and how many holy 
souls incited to renewed zeal for their salva- 
tion, by beholding the representation of the 
sweet countenance of this most amiable 
mother, who clasps the divine infant to her 
breast, and looks down, with an expression 
of mild rebuke, on those who esteem so 
little the excess of that love wherewith he 
has loved them ! Who has ever looked at these 
prodigies of the painter's pencil, in which are 
expressed such unearthly beauty and such 
sweet benignity, without ejaculating an aspira- 
tion to this most amiable, because most per- 
fect of creatures? Let us endeavor to imitate 
her virtue as far as is given to our weakness : 
and, by showing forth the gifts of grace in 
the conduct of our lives, induce our fellow- 
creatures to glorify our Father who is 
in heaven. Let the amiable character of 
Mary not only serve to excite us to virtue, 
but let it moreover give us great confidence 
in our applications for her intercession. If 
the recollection of our infidelities to God makes 
us dread to approach Him, letusfiy like chil- 
dren to our amiable Mother, according to the 
council of a holy writer, Hugh of St. Victor : 
^^If you dread to approach God, look up to 



The Month of Mnry 51 



Mary. In her you will see nothing that can 
terrify you. She is of the same race as you 
yourselves are." 

Example. 

A celebrated missionary, Father Gonzales 
Silveira, brought with him to the kingdom of 
Monomatapa, in Africa, a beautiful picture of 
the Blessed Virgin. One of the officers of the 
court saw it, and not knowing how to dis- 
tinguish the picture from reality, told his 
prince that the strange priest had brought 
with him a lady of singular beauty. The king 
conceived a great desire to see her, and sent 
accordingly to Father Gonzales, who im- 
mediately brought him the painting, and told 
him that this was the lady the officer had seen. 
The king was so charmed with it, that he 
placed it under a rich canopy in his own 
chamber. On the following night, while he 
slept tranquilly, he seemed to behold the 
Virgin surrounded with light, in the same 
dress and similarly ornamented as in the 
picture. She addressed him in a language he 
did not understand. This happened on three 
successive nights. He was so annoyed at not 
understanding what the unknown lady said to 



52 The Month of Mary 

him, that he interrogated the missionary on 
the subject. This latter rephed that the lan- 
guage of the Queen ol Heaven was a heavenly 
language, and could only be understood by a 
Christian. ^'Well then," said the king, 'Iwill 
be a Christian, since it is so agreeable to the 
Queen of Heaven." He was accordingly in- 
structed in the principles of our holy faith, 
and was solemnly baptized, together with his 
mother, and many of the nobles of his court. 
He then learned that the incomprehensible 
language of the Queen of Heaven was the 
means she had made use of to induce him to 
become a Christian; and he esteemed this char- 
acter too much not to be ever thankful to 
her by whose means he had obtained it. 

'^0 blessed Mary, who can return thee suffi- 
cient thanks, or adequately celebrate thy 
praises, for having by thy consent succored 
a ruined world? What praise can human 
weakness offer to thee, whichby thy means has 
found the port of salvation ? Keceive, however, 
our thanks, although unworthy of thee and 
unequal to thy merits, and obtain for us par- 

1 Ascribed to St. Augustine. 



The Month of Mary 53 



don by thy intercession. Keeeive our prayers 
within the sanctuary of thy clemency, and pro- 
cure for us the antidote of reconciliation. May 
our offerings be rendered acceptable through 
thy intercession, and may we obtain what we 
confidentially ask. Eeceive what we offer ; 
impart what w^e desire ; avert what we fear : 
for thou art the only hope of sinners. Through 
thee do we hope for pardon of our sins ; and 
in thee, O most blessed lady I is the expecta- 
tion of our rewards. Holy Mary! succor 
the miserable, help the pusillanimous, com- 
fort the mournful, pray for the people, inter- 
cede for the clergy, pray for the devoted fe- 
male sex, and let all experience thy intercession 
who celebrate thy holy conception. Amen.'' 

Practice, 

Keep always a picture of this most amiable 
Mother in your room, and when it meets your 
eye, make an aspiration of love to Jesus and 
to Mary. 

Aspiration. 

How beautiful art thou, my beloved ! How 
beautiful art thou.— Cant. iv.l. 



54 The Month of Mary 



EIGHTH DAT 



Mother of our Creator, Pray for us. 

**He who created me, rested in mj taber- 
nacle/'— Eccl. xxiv. 12. 

'^It is indeed/' says St. Chrysostom, '^an un- 
heard-of wonder, that the ineffable God, whose 
greatness cannot be conceived by thought or 
expressed in language, and who is equal to the 
Father in all things, should come to us by the 
womb of the Virgin, and vouchsafe to be born 
of a woman.'' When we before considered the 
dignity of Mary, as Mother of God, we rather 
explained the doctrine of the Church, than 
dwelt on the consequences which follow from 
this truth. Mary is the mother of our Creator ; 
because she is the mother of Jesus Christ— 
who is the brightness of His (the Father's) 
glory, and the figure of His substance ;^ who 
was in the beginning with God; by whom '^all 
things were made,and without whom was made 
nothing that was made;"^ and '^who is over 
all things God blessed forever."^ She then can 

1 Heb. i. 3. 2 john i. 3. ^ Kom. ix. 5. 



The Month of Mary 55 



say, and the expression is strictly true : **He 
who created me rested in my tabernacle." O 
sublime and mysterious privilege ! The dignity 
of Mary is infinite, inasmuch as it results from 
the infinite dignity of her divine Son, which 
no created intelligence can comprehend. The 
angels who stand before the throne of God ; 
the seraphim who veil their faces before the 
splendors of His presence, and exclaim, '^Holy, 
Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts, the heavens 
and the earth are full of thy glory;" the spirits 
of the just made perfect, who are inebriated 
with torrents of delight in contemplating and 
enjoying God these have an idea of Mary's 
dignity, infinitely more correct than we can 
possibly have, but yet infinitely short of its 
real character. For as none but God can fully 
comprehend the perfection of His own nature, 
none but God can duly estimate the great- 
ness of her who stands to Him in the close and 
endearing relation of mother. 

This dignity is so great that St. Bonaven- 
ture did not hesitate to say, what, on a 
moment's reflection, must appear evident to 
all; '^that although God could create a thou- 
sand worlds more beautiful than the one we 
inhabit, yet he could not create a greater 



56 The Month of Mary 

mother;" because her dignity as Mother 
depends on the dignity of her Son ; and what 
mother can be greater than the Mother of 
God? Hence the holy fathers, and other 
saints of God's church, in proportion as they 
meditated on, and endeavored to conceive, 
the Majesty of God, in the same proportion 
increased in respect and profound veneration 
for that singularly favored creature who 
was chosen to be the Mother of God. 
*^Mary," says St. Bernard, '^calls the God and 
Lord of angels her Son : ^Son, why hast thou 
done so to us?* What angel would dare to 
say this? But Mary showing that she is 
mother, confidently calls that God her Son, 
whom the angels humbly adore." In contem- 
plating this incomprehensible elevation of 
Mary, let us address her with sentiments of 
admiration and profound reverence, in the 
words of her holy cousin St. Elizabeth: 
'^Blessed art thou that hast believed, because 
those things shall be accomplished which 
were spoken to thee by the Lord"^ '^Although 
we had innumerable tongues," says a very 
ancient author, *^we could not suflBciently 
praise her. This is she who alone merits to 
be called by God, spouse and mother. She 



1 Luke i. 45. 



The Month of Mary 57 



first repaired the evil of our first mother, and 
brought salvation to lost man." 

The greatness of Mary's dignity is best cal- 
culated to give us an idea of her supereminent 
sanctity. God, who always adapts the 
means to the end, prepared her for a dignity 
without parallel, by a degree of sanctity as 
far exceeding that of other saints, as the 
dignity of mother exceeds that of friends and 
servants. '^Wherefore," says St. Bernard, *^it 
was meet that the Creator of men, when 
he assumed the nature of man, should 
choose, or rather create, such a mother a- 
mong all, as He knew was worthy of Him, 
and would please Him." St. Gregory the 
Great mystically interprets the mount of 
Ephraim, mentioned in the first book of 
Kings, of Mary: ^^She was a mountain," 
says he, "which rose above all other created 
height, by the dignity of her election." — "Was 
not Mary," says he again, "a lofty mountain, 
who, that she might be worthy to conceive 
the Eternal Word, was raised above all the 
choirs of angels and approached the very 
throne of the Godhead: Isaiah, foretelling 
the superexcellent elevation of this mountain, 
says : ^And in the last days, the mountain of 



58 The Month of Mary 

the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the 
summit of the mountains.' It was indeed a 
mountain on the mountain's top; because 
the elevation of Mary shone resplendent a- 
bove that of all the saints." But the super- 
eminent dignity and sanctity of Mary should 
not be the matter for mere admiration ;— it 
should serve to impress us more deeply with 
a sense of the greatness of the God whose 
creatures we are, and who, in our creation, 
has imposed on us the obligation of being holy, 
as he said to the J ewish people : ^^Be ye holy ; 
because I, the Lord your God, am holy." 

Example. 

In the fifth century of the Church, Nestorius, 
bishop of Constantinople, a proud and haugh- 
ty man, who concealed much impiety under 
an appearance of zeal and piety, displayed 
at length the venom of his heart by preach- 
ing publicly in the church, that it was not 
permitted to call Mary the Mother of God. 
The people heard this impiety with the great- 
est consternation. All Constantinople was ex- 
cited ; and the faithful were indignant at the 
insult offered to Mary, by attempting to de- 



The Month of Mary 59 



prive her of a title which had been given her 
from the days of the apostles. Venerable old 
men, who in the desert had spent their lives 
in the practice of the severest austerities, now 
abandoned their retreats, and appeared in 
the streets and public assemblies, to defend 
the honor of the Queen of Heaven, and to cau- 
tion the people against the impious errors of 
Nestorius. The bishops and pastors of the 
Church, well knowing that the whole mystery 
of human redemption would be annihilated, 
if the error of Nestorius prevailed, undertook 
the defence of Mary^s dignity with the great- 
est zeal. A general council was held at Eph- 
esus, in 431, at which bishops from various 
countries assisted, and over which St. Cyril, 
the patriarch of Alexandria, presided, as legate 
of Pope Celestine. The error of Nestorius was 
condemned, and he himself anathematized as 
an innovator. It is difficult to describe the 
joy and exultation which this decision of the 
Church excited in Ephesus and throughout all 
Christendom. On the day in which the decree 
of the council, on the nature of Mary's dignity, 
was solemnly announced, almost the whole 
city assembled before the church where the 
bishops were assembled. The people patient- 



60 The Month of Mary 

Ij awaited the whole day, as if nothing was 
more important or dearer to their hearts than 
the determination of this question. At length 
the doors being thrown open, St. Cyril ap- 
peared at the head of more than two hundred 
bishops, and announced to the people the con- 
demnation of Nestorius and his impious doc- 
trine. Scarcely had he ceased to speak, when 
the multitude burst into exclamations of joy, 
and the whole city resounded with hymns and 
congratulations to Mary.— ^The enemy of 
Mary is overcome," they exclaimed. **Joy to 
Mary, the great, the sublime, the glorious 
Mother of God !" The fathers of the council were 
received by the people with loud praises, and 
conducted home, accompanied by innumerable 
torches. Costly perfumes were burned in the 
streets through which they passed ; the whole 
city was illuminated ; and nothing was omit- 
ted to render the triumph of Mary complete. 
It was on this occasion that the Church added 
to the angeFs salutation the words: ^^Holy 
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, 
and at the hour of our death." Amen. 

Prayer. 

I salute thee, Mary, Mother of my Creator 



The Month of Mary 61 



and hope of Christians. Listen to the prayer of 
a sinner, who wishes to love thee tenderly, and 
who places in thee all his hope of salvation. 
To thee I owe all the spiritual advantages 
which Jesus Christ has procured for me ; rein- 
state me in the favor of thy Divine Son, and 
be the advocate of my weakness and un- 
worthiness. I beseech thee to obtain from Him 
the pardon of all my sins : dissipate the dark- 
ness of my understanding, destroy the worldly 
affections of my heart, repel the temptations of 
my enemy, and preside over all the actions of 
my life, that by thy assistance and maternal 
direction, I may arrive at eternal happiness. 
Amen. 

Practice. 

Exercise this day some act of humility in 
honor of Mary. 

Aspiration. 

Make me worthy to praise thee, O Sacred 
Virgin ! 



62 The Month of Mary 



NINTH DAY 

Mother of our Redeemer, Pray for us. 

^'And she shall bring forth a son, and thou 
shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save 
his people from their sins.''— Matth. i. 21. 

The titles on which Mary claims our respect 
and gratitude are so many, that it is only by 
considering them separately, we can form to 
ourselves adequate ideas, or correct notions, 
of them. If she challenges all our veneration, 
on account of the supereminent dignity as 
Mother of God, she is entitled to all our grat- 
itude as Mother of our Redeemer. As Eve was 
the cause of the ruin of the human race, be- 
cause although her own transgression would 
not have involved us in her guilt and its conse- 
quent punishment,yet she was the occasion of 
the fall of Adam, who was seduced by her ex- 
ample and solicitation, so Mary is properly 
styled by the holy fathers, ^^the cause of our 
salvation," because although of herself she 
could not have reconciled us with God, yet in 



The Month of Mary 63 

giving us Jesus Christ, she has afforded us a 
Kedeemer, who is "a propitiation for our sins, 
and not only for ours, but for those of the 
whole world. St. Irenaeus, who lived in the 
second century of the Church, says: **As Eve, 
by disobeying, became for herself and the 
whole human race the cause of ruin, so Mary, 
by obeying, became the cause of salvation 
to herself and the whole human race. " ^ ^ ve, ' ' 
says St. Augustine, *^was the cause of death 
to man, for by her death entered into the 
world ; but Mary is the cause of life, by whom 
life was born to us, and by whom the Son 
of God came into the world ; that where sin 
had abounded there grace should abound, 
and whence death originated thence life might 
proceed ; and that He who was made life for 
us by a woman, should overcome the death 
brought on by a woman." St. Jerome ex- 
pressed the same thought in fewer words : 
"Death came by Eve ; life by Mary." 

What a momentous mission was that on 
which the archangel Gabriel was sent to 
Mary, when he announced to her that she 
should conceive and bear a son, who was to 
be called Jesus, because he was to "save his 
people from their sins." 



1 St. Iren: lib. iii. c. xxxlii. 



64 The Month of Mary 

On the assent of the Virgin to the proposition 
made her, hung the destinies of the human 
race. How the angels of God must have 
paused in breathless expectation of her 
answer ! and when they heard issue from her 
mouth the words: ^^Behold the handmaid of 
the Lord : be it done unto me according to 
thy word;" how the vaults of heaven re- 
sounded with the glorious anthem of '^Glory 
to God on high and peace to men of good 
will,'^ which, on the night of Christ's nativity, 
re-echoed from the earth I What would have 
been our condition if Mary had not yielded 
this ready compliance with God's will? We 
have every reason to conclude, that man 
would not have been redeemed. God could, 
of course, have employed other means; but 
there is nothing to make us believe that he 
would have done so. On the contrary, all 
that we know of the ordinary course of his 
providence, tends to warrant the contrary in- 
ference. He has established an admirable 
order of dependence between the different 
members of the human family: the vices or 
virtues of the parent have a serious effect on 
the morality of his offspring ; and no man can 
wander from the path of duty, or walk 



The Month of Mary 65 



steadily in it, without exercising a favorable 
or unfavorable influence on others. Mary 
then merits all our gratitude, for having ful- 
filled the glorious designs which God had on 
her. St. Bernard, addressing her, says : "By 
means of thee has heaven been opened and hell 
closed, the heavenly Jerusalem restored, and 
life given to those who expected death.'' We 
cannot have a due conviction of the benefit of 
the redemption which Christ has effected for 
us, and not have a deep sense of our obli- 
gations to her, who was so mysteriously in- 
strumental in procuring them. 

If Mary had so great a part in our redemp- 
tion, we may easily conceive that she will be 
most zealous for the application of its bene- 
fits to our souls. We cannot employ a surer 
means -of being purified in the blood of her 
Son, than by frequent recourse to her: 
she knows the value of the gift we seek, and 
our inevitable ruin unless we obtain it. 
"Mary," says Venerable Bede, "stands in the 
presence of her Son, and never ceases to inter- 
cede for sinners."^ She knows our misery: 
she feels every wound we inflict on Jesus Christ 
by our transgressions: she compassionates 
our unhappy lot, if we fail to profit by the 

^Beda in Cap. 1. Lucae. 



66 The Month of Mary 

plentiful redemption she has procured for us 
through Jesus Christ. Hence she is styled by 
St. Ephrem, *^the conciliatrix of the world." 
Hence St. Basil asserts, that God has ordain- 
ed that she should assist us in everything.^ 
And is it not reasonable, that she who had so 
mysterious a part in the accomplishment of 
man's redemption, should have the most ex- 
tensive influence in the application of its mer- 
its to our souls ? Let us, then, ever accom- 
pany our meditation on our redemption 
through Christ, and our petitions to be 
washed in His blood, with corresponding grat- 
itude to Mary, and unlimited confidence in 
her intercession. Let us address her in the 
language of St. Ephrem : ^^Hail, hope of the 
soul, firm confidence of Christians, advocate 
of sinners, bulwark of the faithful, and cause 
of the world's salvation !" 

Example. 

On Sunday, the 3d of September, 1837, a 
captain of the French army, about forty-four 
years old, was passing by the church of Notre 
Dame des Yictoires, in Paris, at half-past 
seven in the evening. He entered through 
curiosity, and went up to the altar dedicated 

1 St. Basil de annuntiatione Beatae Virginis* 



The Month of Mary 67 



to the Sacred Heart of Mary. The preacher 
in speaking of St. Augustin, whose festival was 
then celebrated, had occasion to mention 
Africa and Eome: and the officer, who had 
served in the Italian campaign, and had just 
returned from Algiers, remembered the names 
of many places which he had seen, or in the 
neighborhood of which he had been. This 
made him take an interest in the discourse, 
and remain till it was over. At the end of the 
service, the priest bade the ^^association of the 
Heart of Mary," pray for the conversion of 
whoever among those present stood most in 
need of it. The captain felt that he was the 
one whom this designation best suited ; he was 
much moved, and fell on his knees to pray. 
On the following day he visited the director of 
the association, and gave him an exact ac- 
count of what had occurred the preceding 
evening. What particularly struck me," said 
he, ' Vas that St. Augustin, when he was con- 
verted, prepared himself to receive baptism by 
retiring to Cassi. I know Cassi, it is a village, 
almost entirely consisting of taverns, near 
Milan. I have often gone there to dance and 
amuse myself. What a contrast! said I to 
myself : St. Augustin went there to do pen» 



68 The Month of Mary 

ance, and I to indulge my passions. I am 
not yet a Christian, I have not been baptized." 
Such was really the case, owing to the in- 
difference of his father. He now felt a strong 
desire to imitate the repentance of St. Augus- 
tin, and expressed a wish to receive holy bap- 
tism. He prepared for it with great fervor ; 
and, in a few days, received it, as also the 
sacraments of confirmation andtheeucharist. 
His heart was overflowing with gratitude to 
his divine Savior and his holy Mother, and 
he resolved to practise the duties of his re- 
ligion, and show himself to be a practical Cath- 
olic during the rest of his life.^ 

Prayer. 

most holy Mother of our Redeemer, what 
a deep gratitude do Christians owe thee for 
thy instrumentahty in our redemption ! In 
giving us Jesus Christ, thou hast given us a 
Redeemer who is flesh of thy flesh— over whom, 
as mother, thou hadst dominion—but whom 
thou didst willingly deliver up for our salva- 
tion. Yes, holy Mother, if we owe all to Jesus 
Christ, who has redeemed us, to thee we owe 
Jesus himself; as it was thy obedience to 

1 Manuel d' instructions et prieres. Paris, 1839. 



The Month of Mary 69 



God's will that caused the designs of His ineffa- 
ble mercy to be accomplished. thrice happy 
Virgin,thou dost dispense thy favors with lib- 
erality and love. I recommend myself to thee ; 
and as thou hast the dispensation of the in- 
exhaustible treasures of God's grace, by thy 
influence with Jesus, impart them to me, with 
a liberality corresponding to my great necessi- 
ties. Suffer not a soul to be lost for which Christ 
died. Through thy intercession may I ex- 
perience the application of His saving merits 
on earth, and, through them, attain the e- 
ternal happiness which he has purchased for 
me by His blood. Amen. 

Practice. 

Be exact in saying the ^^Angelus Domini" 
at morning, noon, and night, in commemora- 
tion of, and thanksgiving for, the benefit of re- 
demption. 

Aspiration. 

Heart of Mary, compassionate the ob- 
duracy of my heart I 



70 The Month of Mary 



TENTH DAT 



Virgin most prudent^ Pray for us. 

'This woman was most prudent.''—! Kings 
XXV. 3. 

The Holy Ghost pronounced this eulogium 
on the virtues of Abigail, whose prudence en- 
abled her to bear with the imperfections of her 
husband, Nabal, and to appease the anger of 
David. Her prudence was, however, but im- 
perfect, when compared with that which we 
admire and venerate in Mary. This prudence 
was manifested first, by devoting herself to 
God's service at an early age ; when she was 
presented by her holy parents in the temple 
of God, where she remained occupied in the 
meditation of His law, and in the celebration 
of His divine perfections. The Church applies 
to her the praise which our Divine Savior 
pronounced on Mary, the sister of Martha, 
when this latter complained, that her sister 
remained at the feet of Christ, in silent con- 
templation of the divine wisdom : "Martha 



The Month of Mary 71 



was busy about much serving," and most 
modern Christians would, probably, conceive, 
that she was more meritoriously employed 
than her sister. The divine lips of Jesus have, 
however, pronounced the eulogium of the 
latter: "Mary hath chosen the better part, 
which shall not be taken away from her." 
The blessed Virgin, in choosing "the better 
part," manifested her singular prudence; as 
this is a virtue which guides us in the choice 
of objects, and in the selection of the means 
to attain them. Her excellence in this par- 
ticular is the more remarkable, as she had no 
example to imitate, but was the first to give 
the example of a total and perpetual volun- 
tary sacrifice of herself to the divine service. 
May we learn from it to choose ever the better 
part, according to the measure of grace im- 
parted to us ; and ever esteem it as the great- 
est happiness a>nd the most consummate wis- 
dom, to be occupied on earth as the blessed 
are in heaven— in contemplating and adoring 
the divine perfections! Happy those souls 
who are called to this life "hidden with Christ 
in God." 

In other circumstances of Mary's life, we per- 
ceive no less evidence of her prudence. So far 



72 The Month of Mary 



removed was she from everything that could 
diminish the lustre of this virtue, that when 
her spouse, St. Joseph, perceived her preg- 
nancy, he seems rather to have been involv- 
ed in perplexity, than inclined to suspicion. 
Mary, with the fullest reliance on God, does 
not seem to have made any effort to vindicate 
her innocence ; but patiently awaited the su- 
pernatural manifestation of her divine mater- 
nity. Again, although she appears not often 
in the evangelical history of our Lord, when- 
ever she is mentioned, we may perceive the 
prudence which distinguished her. After re- 
maining three months with her holy cousin, 
St. Elizabeth, she returns to Nazareth, when 
the time of the birth of St. John the Baptist 
approached ; in order, as the holy fathers re- 
mark, to avoid the observation of those who 
would be assembled on such a joyous occa- 
sion. Like the prudent merchant in the gospel, 
she studiously concealed the precious jewel she 
possessed, and did not unnecessarily expose 
it, by imprudently manifesting the extra- 
ordinary favor God had imparted to her. 
She treasured up all the words spoken of her 
Divine Son, by the angels on the night of his 
birth, pondering on them in her heart, as also 



The Month of Mary 73 



those which the prophetess Anna and the 
holj Simeon pronounced, when He was present- 
ed in the temple. During the public ministry of 
Christ she seldom appears, as best became her 
sex, and her near relation to the Kedeemer ; 
but whenever we find mention of her, we may 
gather from the brief notice which the evangel- 
ists take of her, the evidence of her singular 
prudence. 

The prudence of Mary should be for us a 
subject of close imitation. Whenever we have 
either to choose a state of life, or determine 
on any important matter, what are the 
motives by which we are influenced ? To act 
prudently on these occasions, we should act 
on the principle laid down by Christ, in his 
answer to Martha: ^'There is indeed one 
thing necessary." This is the criterion by 
which we should try and prove all things. 
Whatever conduces to the great end of our 
creation— the attainment of heaven, should 
be embraced ; whatever is opposed to it, or 
likely to place obstacles to us in our course, 
should be rejected. To act otherwise— to be in- 
fluenced by considerations of present gratifi- 
cation or emolument, and not by the principle 
above laid down, is to invert the order es- 



74. The Month of Mary 

tablished by God, who commands us to ^^seek 
first the kingdom of God and his justice." 
It is to lay the foundation of our happiness 
on a sandy soil, and thus expose ourselves to 
be involved in the ruin that will certainly 
follow. Even in our most trivial actions, we 
should be governed by prudence, as it is the 
only means by which we can please God, and 
avoid the violation of fraternal charity. The 
words of the psalmist should often be our 
aspiration to God:— ''Set a watch, Lord! 
before my mouth, and a door round my 
lips." Let us imitate this truly prudent 
Virgin, whose example the Church so much 
recommends to our imitation, and from 
whom we may learn prudence without guile, 
and wisdom without affectation. 

Example. 

St. Alphonso de Liguori was, in the early 
part of his life, a distinguished lawyer ; but 
having lost an important suit, which had oc- 
cupied his attention for an entire month, and 
which he was certain of gaining, he felt a dis- 
gust for the world, and resolved to embrace 
the ecclesiastical state. He was subsequently 
founder of the order of the Liguorists, other- 



The Month of Mary 75 



wise called '^Redemptionists/' whose principal 
object is to announce the truths of salvation 
to the poor. He was afterward s made bishop of 
St. Agatha dei Goti, in the kingdom of Naples. 

Never did this man of God permit a 
day to pass without spending some time be- 
fore an altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. 
He never undertook anything, however 
trivial, without invoking her, whom he called 
his Mother, and, after God, his only hope. 
Often in his sermons did he speak in the most 
touching manner of this Mother of sorrows. 
'^At the foot of the cross," he would say, '^she 
adopted us in the person of John. By the 
sword which pierced her heart, she is become 
for us a Mother of mercy ; let us therefore, 
poor sinners, have recourse to her in our press- 
ing dangers." 

In his missions he was accustomed to give 
a sermon on the patronage of the Holy Vir- 
gin, which always produced most happy re- 
sults. Often, on such occasions, did the most 
hardened sinners feel themselves touched by 
grace ; a.nd, in amazement at their change of 
feeling, demand with earnestness to be admit- 
ted to penance. The zeal of this great saint 
redoubled whenever the devotion to his good 



76 The Month of Mary 



Mother was attacked. ''Some innovators/' 
he would say, ''assert that the veneration 
given to the Virgin is injurious to God : they 
deny her influence ; they reject her intercession . 
It is our duty to vindicate her privileges." 
He proved, after St. Bernard and other fath- 
ers of the Church, that a true servant of Mary 
cannot be lost ; because such a one must nec- 
essarily fulfil all the conditions required by 
God for salvation. The number of prayers, 
and beautiful hymns, which he composed in 
her honor, and numerous works of piety, es- 
pecially his "Glories of Mary," and his "Visits 
to the Holy Virgin," attest his extraordin- 
ary devotion to the Mother of God. Several 
well authenticated miraculous favors which 
God conferred on him through Mary, are re- 
corded in his life, published in Italy and France. 

This glorious saint, who from his childhood 
had asked everyday, through the intercession 
of Mary, for the grace of a happy death, was 
consoled in his last moments by a vision of 
the Queen of Heaven. Holding a crucifix in 
his hand, and with the image of Mary before 
him, he calmly expired in the ninetieth year 
of his age, in 1787. He was canonized by Pope 
Gregory XVI., on the 26th of May, 1839. 



The Month of Mary 77 
Prayer. 

most prudent Virgin, I approach thee 
with sentiments of the most profound venera- 
tion, and I congratulate thee on the heavenly 
prudence which thou didst manifest from thy 
earliest years, and which always distinguish- 
ed thee through life. Thou art the prudent 
Virgin, who didst seek God in all thy actions, 
and ever kept thy lamp burning, by contin- 
ually replenishing it with the oil of good 
works. May I imitate thee in this respect, 
and not expose myself to be excluded, like the 
foolish virgins, from the nuptials of the 
Divine Son, by reason of my tepidity or want 
of vigilance. Virgin, bright mirror of 
heavenly wisdom ! be unto me a guide, and 
make me ever prefer what is most conducive 
to my salvation, to what would flatter my 
pride or gratify my feelings. Preserve me 
from those errors in which passion would in- 
volve me: may I be simple and prudent, 
sincere without levity and reserved without 
moroseness. Amen. 

Practice. 
Make it a rule in all your actions, especially 



78 The Month of Mary 



those of moment, to examine what influence 
they will have on your eternal destinies. Let 
this be the criterion by which you judge of 
them. 

Aspiration. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us 
sinners, now, and at the hour of death. 



ELEVENTH DAT 



Venerable Virgin, Pray for us. 

^'All generations shall call me blessed."— 
Luke i. 48. 

When holy Elizabeth congratulated the 
blessed Virgin, on the supernatural favor she 
had received from God, this humble handmaid 
of the Lord, inspired by the Holy Ghost, com- 
posed that canticle of thanksgiving from which 
these words are taken. How wonderful was 



The Month of Mary 79 



this prophecy ! A poor Virgin, distinguished 
by nothing except her extraordinary piety, 
foretells that ^^all generations shall call her 
blessed." And so fully has this prediction 
been accomplished, that its fulfilment maybe 
considered as one of the strongest proofs of 
our divine religion. We can say to her, as 
Ozias, the prince of the people, said to Judith, 
^^Blessed art thou, daughter, by the Lord, the 
Most High God, above all women upon the 
earth. Because He hath so magnified thy 
name this day, that thy praise shall not de- 
part out of the mouth of men, who shall be 
mindful of the power of the Lord forever ; for 
that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason 
of the distress and tribulation of thy people, 
but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of 
our God."^ 

Yes, all generations have called her blessed ! 
When peace was restored to the Church by 
the triumph of Constantine, and the Christians 
were permitted to raise public churches for 
the worship of God, the piety of the faithful 
towards the Mother of their Kedeemer mani- 
fested itself in the numerous and magnificent 
temples erected to her honor. The council of 
Ephesus, in which she was declared to be justly 

1 Judith ^iii. 23, 25, 



80 The Month of Mary 

styled the "Mother of God," against the 
heretic Nestorius, was held in one of those 
churches which religion had raised to God 
under her invocation. How many holy doc- 
tors, in every age, have consecrated their tal- 
ents to celebrate her praises ! Like St. Bern- 
ardjthey could find no end of speaking of Mary ; 
for the more they considered her dignity and 
holiness, the more they found themselves in- 
capable of adequately expressing them. The 
eloquence of orators, the genius of poets, the 
talents of painters and sculptors— not only 
in one age or country— but in every age and 
country where Christianity has been known- 
have combined to celebrate her praises, and 
transmit to future generations the feelings 
of religious veneration which they themselves 
experienced. What a multitude of religious 
orders have been instituted in her honor, and 
under her special patronage ! In these, thou- 
sands of holy souls daily repeat the canticle 
of praise and thanksgiving to God, which first 
fell from Mary's lips, and— esteeming them- 
selves honored in being accounted her ser- 
vants—faithfully endeavor to copy into their 
lives the lessons of obedience, purity, and hu- 
mility, which she gives to all Christians. The 



The Month of Mary 81 

Church of Jesus Christ has instituted numer- 
ous festivals in her honor, and in commemora- 
tion of the benefits conferred on us through 
her instrumentality. In a word, the praises 
of Mary have been celebrated by all that in 
ancient or modern times is venerable for the 
sanctity of their own lives, and the wonders 
of God's power displayed in their actions. 
Truly, then, have all generations called her 
blessed. As God has not bestowed on any other 
creature such abundant graces or favors as 
on Mary, so he has not given to any other 
creature to enjoy such universal and heartfelt 
admiration as to the Virgin Mother of His Son. 
Let us, then, join in this universal voice of 
Christian piety ; and, uniting our praises with 
those of all the just on earth, and of all the 
angels and saints of heaven, say to her with St. 
Cyril of Alexandria: 'Traise be to thee, 
holy Mother of God ! Thou art the precious 
jewel of the earth, an undying lamp, the 
€rown of virginity, the sceptre of the orthodox 
faith. Thou art an inviolable temple, con- 
taining Him whom no space can include.*' 
This veneration, with which Christians of all 
ages have honored the Virgin Mary, and 
which is so much encouraged by the Church, 



82 The Month of Mary 

is most reasonable in itself, and most eflSca- 
ciously promotes the greater glory of God. 
If all the friends of God were much honored 
by the psalmist, ^ how much more worthy of 
veneration is she whom Jesus Christ himself 
honored as his parent on earth? The glory 
which Mary receives from us, does not detract 
from, but, on the contrary, augments, that 
which we are bound to give to God. "What- 
ever praise," says St. Bernard, "we give to 
the Mother, is referred to the Son; for the 
King is honored by the respect manifested 
for the Queen." It is the triumph of God's 
grace we celebrate, when we celebrate the 
praises of Mary. Hence St. Gregory, of Nico- 
media, addressing her, says, "The Creator re- 
gards thy glory as his own." If the saints 
have venerated her so much, and have found 
themselves unable to express all their feelings 
of respect and affection for her, it was because 
they had such sublime ideas of God's majesty 
and goodness. To honor her, is to honor 
God, whose creature she is, and from whom, 
consequently, she has received all that she 
possesses. To confide in her, is not to distrust 
His providence or mercy; but to employ the 
most powerful means to obtain what we ask 



1 Ps. cxxxviii. 17. 



The Month of Mary 83 

for from both these divine attributes. *^The 
dignity of the intercessor/' says St. Anselm, 
' 'supplies our insufficiency, and hence to im- 
plore the assistance of the Virgin is not to 
distrust the divine mercy, but to diffide in 
our own unworthiness.'' In honoring Mary 
we only accomplish the designs of God, who 
by her mouth has declared— what he has not 
declared of any other creature— *^that all 
generations should call her blessed.'' 

Example. 

The Church honors on this day the memory 
of St. Francis Hieronymus of the Society of 
Jesus, who may be called the apostle of the 
kingdom, and especially of the city of Naples. 
He was a most faithful servant of Mary ; he 
had for her the most tender affection, and in- 
cessantly labored to excite similar feelings in 
others. On all Saturdays of the year, as well 
as on all Vigils of the Blessed Virgin, he fast- 
ed on bread and water ; not to speak of other 
austerities he practised in honor of Mary. 
In the church of the Jesuits at Naples, there 
is an image of the Holy Virgin, sent thither 
from Rome by St. Francis of Borgia, and 
which is venerated under the title of *'Mary 



84 The Month of Mary 

the greater.'' This holy man exerted himself 
wonderfully to direct the attention of the 
people to it ; and to excite among them sent- 
iments of tender confidence in the Mother of 
God. For twenty-two years he continued to 
preach on every Tuesday in a church dedicated 
to God in her honor; and laid before the 
people the extraordinary privileges of Mary, 
and the liberality with which sherewarded her 
faithful servants. He was especially zealous 
in exciting youth to the practice of this devo- 
tion ; as he deemed it the most powerful means 
of guarding their innocence, or of correcting 
their errors. He was often accustomed to 
say, that whoever did not honor Mary could 
with difficulty be saved. In all doubts and 
difficulties, he recurred to her as his sure 
counsellor ; and in her found protection in all 
his dangers, assistance in all his undertakings, 
help and relief in all his embarrassments. 
Never did he appeal to her without being 
heard. In his missionary sermons he always 
caused an image of Mary to be placed before 
the people; thereby to draw down the blessing 
of heaven on his ministry, and to lead his 
hearers to Jesus through Mary. It is incon- 
ceivable what great things this apostolic man 



The Month of Mary 85 



performed by the assistance of Mary, or how 
many souls he won to heaven by means of his 
untiring zeal. Devotion to Mary was propa- 
gated wherever duty called him to labor for 
the salvation of souls. The mother of mercy 
did not let his zeal pass unrewarded. After 
having aided and protected him during life, 
she assisted him in a special manner at the 
hour of his death, which occurred in Naples 
in the year 1716. He was beatified by Pius 
VII. in 1806, and was solemnly canonized by 
Gregory XYI., on the 26th of May, 1839. 
Let us learn from St. Francis, to love and 
honor this most Venerable Virgin, and we 
shall experience the truth of his maxim, that 
the faithful servant of Mary cannot be lost. 

Prayer. 

most Venerable Virgin ! I salute thee as 
the most honored of God's creatures, and 
therefore venerate thee with all the fervor of 
my soul. There is no other creature in heaven 
or on earth, that can be compared with thee. 
May all tongues proclaim thy praise. I re- 
joice at thy supereminent glory, whenever I 
repeat that canticle in which thou didst fore- 



86 The Month of Mary 

tel, that all generations should call thee 
blessed. blessed indeed art thou amongst all 
creatures ! May I ever remain thy faithful, thy 
devoted servant on earth, that, by thy inter- 
cession, I may hereafter deserve to behold 
that glory with which God crowns thee in 
heaven, and return thanks to Him, during 
eternity, for all the favors he has conferred 
on thee, and, through thee, on all mankind. 
Amen. 

Practice. 

Kecite the ^ ^Magnificat'' in honor of Mary, 
and endeavor both by exhortation and your 
own example to promote devotion to this 
Venerable Virgin. It is the surest means by 
which you can obtain God's grace. 

Aspiration. 

Thou art beautiful and comely, daughter 
of Jerusalem ! 



The Month of Mary 87 



TWELFTH DAT 



Powerful Virgin^ Pray for us. 

''In thy hands are power and might."— 
1 Paralip, xxix. 12. 

The Holy Virgin is most powerful with 
Jesus Christ. While on earth this Divine 
Savior was subject to her, and obeyed her 
as his Mother; according to St. Luke, he 
"went down with them, and came to 
Nazareth, and was subject to them." ^ She is 
His Mother no less in heaven now, than she 
was while on earth. How powerful then must 
Mary be with her Divine Son! "The son," 
says St. Bernard, "will surely hear the 
Mother." When Solomon, who was a type 
of Christ, saw his mother approach, he rose 
from his throne, bowed to her, and ordered 
her to be seated on a throne at his right hand. 
When she intimated that she had a petition 
to make, he replied: "My mother, ask, for I 
must not turn away my face." ^ If this great 

1 Luke ii,^51. 2 3 ^eg. ii. 20. 



88 The Month of Mary 

king thus honored his mother, and gave her 
such influence over him, although she was a 
poor sinful creature,— how much more eflica- 
cious with J esus will be the prayer of Mary, who 
has not only the natural influence of a mother, 
but whose perfect holiness must render her so 
acceptable to God, the author and rewarder 
of all sanctity? May we not then say, in the 
language of the learned and truly pious 
Cardinal Bellarmin: ^^How secure must we 
be, when protected by so great a mother? 
Who will draw us from her? What tempta- 
tion or afiliction can overcome those who 
confide in the protection of her who is the 
Mother of God, and our Mother also?'' 

We have a striking instance of Mary's power 
with her Divine Son recorded in the gospel of 
St. John.^ At the marriage feast of Cana of 
Galilee, when the wine was exhausted, she rep- 
resented to Him that they had no wine. Al- 
though He declared that His hour was not 
yet come for manifestingHimself to the world, 
yet, in compliance with her request, he changed 
water into wine, which was the beginning 
of his wonders. Is Mary likely to be less 
powerful with Him now, that his hour for ap- 
plying the fruits of his redemption is come, 

1 John ii. 



The Month of Mary 89 

than she was then? Will He be less moved 
with her representation of our spiritual neces- 
sities, than He was by her charitable interfer- 
ence on the occasion referred to ? Or will she 
be less likely to interest herself for us, when 
she beholds the multiplied dangers which sur- 
round us, and our own spiritual destitution, 
than she was to prevent the confusion and 
disappointment of the guests at the marriage 
feast? We may be assured that Mary will 
plead for us with her Son still more effectual- 
ly than she did at the marriage feast. Will 
the Eternal Father refuse anything to Her, 
on whom He has accumulated so many 
favors, who was ever obedient to His com- 
mands, and whom He made use of in the great 
work of the incarnation of His Son ? Will the 
Holy Ghost, by whose mysterious power she 
conceived Jesus Christ, who always dwelt in 
her by grace, and who always found her so 
docile to His inspirations—will He refuse her, 
when she petitions for a communication of 
the same grace to our souls? Or will Jesus, 
the amiable Savior of mankind, reject the 
entreaties of her, who brought Him forth, 
who nursed His infancy and cared His child- 
hood, and who, in all the circumstances of 



90 The Month of Mary 

His life, from Bethlehem to Calvary, par- 
ticipated in His labors and sufferings for the 
redemption of the world? We cannot reflect 
on these motives of confidence in Mary, with- 
out entering into the sentiments of St. Bona- 
venture : *^It is the great privilege of Mary to 
be most powerful with her Divine Son.'' 

The efficacy of Mary's intercession has been 
experienced and celebrated in all ages of the 
Church. By means of it have the most 
hardened sinners been converted, and, by the 
fervor of their penance have consoled the 
Church, which they had before scandalized by 
their disorders. By it has many a wavering 
heart been confirmed in its virtue, many a 
tepid soul been roused to the practice of vir- 
tue, and many a faithful servant been excited 
to go from virtue to virtue, and make re- 
newed efforts to attain perfection. Why, 
then, has it not produced in us similar effects? 
We shall find, perhaps, that our tepidity, or 
neglect of her service, and the want of fidelity 
and fervor in our devotional practices to 
Mary, are the causes of the little benefit we 
may have derived from the appeals we have 
hitherto made to her. Let us animate our- 
selves to increased exactness in all that ap- 



The Month of Mary 91 

pertain to her service, and with St. Bern- 
ard, ^ ^venerate Mary with all our heart and 
affection, because such is the will of Him who 
has been pleased to give us all through Mary. 
Let us then adhere to her, and not let her go, 
until she bless us; For She Is Powerful." 

Example. 

In the seventeenth century lived a holy 
priest, Father Bernard, who distinguished 
himself by his love of poverty and his charit- 
able care of the poor, and whose name is fa • 
mousinFrance as^^the poorpriest." He was 
born at Dijon, on the 26th of December, 1588. 
After a youth spent in the frivolity of the 
world, he was converted, and received the or- 
der of priesthood at Paris, on which occasion 
he consecrated himself by vow to the service 
of the poor and suffering. In the early part 
of his new career, he suffered much from the 
repugnance he felt in visiting the public 
hospitals ; but he at length so far overcame 
himself, as to behold without emotion the 
most disgusting objects. 

He constantly visited the prisons in Paris, 
and endeavored to inspire their inmates with 



92 The Month of Mary 



sentiments of resignation, of penitence, and 
Christian hope. At the end of his exhortations, 
he eansed all to sing the ^^Salve Kegina." 
Father Bernard was particularly zealous in 
promoting the recital of the celebrated prayer 
of St. Bernard to the Mother of God— ''Mem- 
orare"—* ^Remember, most pious Virgin." 
He caused it to be translated into various 
languages ; and distributed more than two 
hundred thousand copies of this excellent pray- 
er, by means of which he effected innumerable 
conversions. 

One day he accompanied to the scaffold a 
hardened culprit, who, even then, ceased not 
to blaspheme. The good priest followed him 
to the ladder, and made an effort to embrace 
him. The other pushed him back so violently 
as to knock him down. Although much hurt 
by the fall, Bernard arose, and falling on his 
knees, began his favorite prayer, '^Remember, 
most pious Virgin." The impenitent cul- 
prit immediately burst into tears, and gave 
every sign of a sincere repentance. 

On another occasion. Father Bernard visit- 
ed a prisoner under sentence of death, who re- 
fused to approach the Sacrament of Penance. 
He saluted the unhappy man ; exhorted him 



The Mon th of Mary 93 



to hope in God, and menaced him with the 
divine judgments in case he continued obstin- 
ate. The other remained unmoved. He 
begged him to recite at least a short prayer to 
Mary : he refused. Then he himself began his 
favorite prayer, in the hope that the prisoner 
would join him, but the unhappy man re- 
mained silent. Not dismayed by his want of 
success, the holy man persisted in his efforts, 
and at length triumphed over the obstinacy 
of the object of so much zeal. Scarcely had he 
pronounced the first words of the above-men- 
tioned prayer, than the other burst into tears, 
and manifested the deepest compunction. 

Prayer^ 

O most powerful, because most faithful, of 
God's creatures! I presume to approach thee 
with a lively sentiment of my own un worthi- 
ness to address God, whose indignation I 
have so much deserved ; and with a strong 
conviction in the eflBcacy of thy intercession 
with Jesus, thy Divine Son, who has placed in 
thy hands all power and strength. May 
these sentiments always increase within me, 
that I may never presume on my own 
strength, but place all my confidence in thee. 



94 The Month of Mary 

Obtain for me, Glorious Virgin, a sincere 
conversion, strength and resolution in the 
hour of trial, and the grace of final persever- 
ance. Jesus can refuse thee nothing ; where- 
as my iniquities render my prayers unworthy 
of being regarded by Him. Thou hast 
crushed the head of the infernal serpent, and 
snatched from him the prey which he hoped to 
possess forever. powerful Mary, preserve 
me against the rude assaults by which he en- 
deavors to regain what he has lost ; and do 
not permit me ever more to relapse into my 
former state of servitude. Amen. 

Practice. 

Eesolve to show your confidence in the 
powerful protection of Mary, by invoking her 
assistance in all your temptations. 

Aspiration. 

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy ! Our 
life, our sweetness, and our hope 1 



The Month of Mary 95 



THIRTEENTH DAT 



Most faithful Virgin, Prajj for us. 

''Be faithful unto death."— Apoc. ii. 10. 

We read in the gospel that when our 
Savior was discoursing to the multitude, 
who listened with admiration to the divine 
wisdom that fell from his lips, a woman from 
the crowd addressed him, saying : '^Blessed is 
the womb that bore thee, and the breasts that 
gave thee suck;"— to whom Jesus answered: 
"Yea, rather, blessed are they who hear the 
word of God and keep it." ^ The holy fathers 
find in this reply of Christ an eulogium on 
Mary ; by which she is declared to be more 
blessed for having heard the word of God and 
kept it, than for having even conceived and 
brought forth the Savior of the world. And 
in fact, the dignity of Mother of God would 
not have rendered her pleasing in His sight, if 
it were possible that it could be the privilege 
of a tepid or unfaithful creature. The 

1 Luke xi. S6. 



96 The Month of Mary 

virtues by which God prepared her for it, and 
by which He made her worthy of that high 
honor, were the effect of His grace with 
which she freely co-operated. But the dignity 
of being the Mother of God was a gratuitous 
favor,— a privilege, in which she had no 
other part than a submission to the Divine 
Will. Hence St. Augustin says: ^^The Virgin 
Mary is pronounced blessed, because she did 
the will of the Father. This it was that our 
Lord extolled in her." 

The fidelity of Mary in corresponding with 
all the graces she received from God, and 
with all his designs upon her, deserves both 
our attention and admiration, and is well 
calculated to give us a high idea of her super- 
eminent sanctity. ^The foundations thereof 
are in the holy mountains,'' that is,— accord- 
ing to the explanation which several of the 
holy fathers give of this text, which they 
apply to the Blessed Virgin,— '^Mary's sancti- 
ty commenced where the sanctity of other 
saints terminated; — their elevation was but 
the foundation on which the superstructure of 
that mysterious house which the divine ^Wis- 
dom built for itself,' was raised." As Mary was 
always faithful in corresponding with the 



The Month of Mary 97 



divine grace, who can conceive the altitude of 
that building which, as St. Gregory the Great 
says, reaches up to the throne of the divinity? 
Yes, Mary is greater, more exalted, and 
more worthy of our admiration, on account 
of this extraordinary fidelity to God's grace, 
than even by the title of Mother of God. 

What an important lesson is afforded us in 
the fidelity of Mary! Little do we know 
what great designs God has on each one of 
us ; little do we know the measure of grace he 
will impart to our souls, if we yield a ready 
compliance with his heavenly inspirations. 
How many souls wallow in the mire of human 
corruption, whom God designed to be models 
of heroism and zeal, but who, by being un- 
faithful to the grace of God, have become 
rocks of scandal, and have caused the ruin 
of innumerable souls! How many con- 
tinue all their lives in tepidity and in- 
difference; because they do not listen to 
the word of God, impelling them to the 
practice of perfect virtue ; which is the sacri- 
fice required from them, by that God who 
will not suffer any rapine in the holocaust? 
On the contrary, how many holy souls, im- 
itating the fidelity of Mary, have fully corre- 



98 The Month of Mary 

sponded with the designs of Heaven, and 
have attained that goal, which God has 
marked out as the point that they should 
reach, before being transferred from this pro- 
bationary state of existence, to that never- 
ending happiness, where their fidelity is to be 
rewarded. Lret us often direct our thoughts 
to our heavenly home, and behold, in spirit, 
the bright crown which rewards the fidelity of 
Mary, and of those, who, like her, have been 
^^faithful unto death." Let us endeavor to 
excite ourselves to renewed vigilance, and 
profit by all the means of advancing in virtue 
with which God may supply us. A faithful 
correspondence with all the graces we receive 
in the sacraments— in prayer— in reading good 
books— in public instructions— in edifying ex- 
amples, will be the best means by which we 
can secure for ourselves perseverance unto the 
end ; when, through Mary's intercession, we 
may hope to be faithful to the last decisive 
grace, which will terminate the series of his 
mercies to us. What a happiness will it then 
be to hear from the lips of Jesus Christ the 
consoling invitation; ''Well done thou good 
and faithful servant, because thou hast been 
faithful over few things, I will place thee over 



The Month of Mary 99 



many things : enter into the joy of the Lord.'' ^ 

Example. 

St. Dominic was born in Old Castile in the 
year 1170, and was chosen by God to diffuse 
the light of the gospel throughout the world. 
He was particularly successful in opposing the 
errors of the Albigenses ; who at that time af- 
flicted the Church by their impieties, while 
they desolated the south of France by their 
seditions. This great servant of God was un- 
tiring in his efforts to promote religion ; and 
his preaching was confirmed by the sanctity of 
his life, and the multitude of miracles by which 
God attested the truth of the doctrine he an- 
nounced. Devotion to Mary, was, as he himself 
testifies, the principal weapon he made use of in 
this holy warfare with error. Before beginning 
to preach, he always knelt down, and invoked 
the assistance of Mary in these words : ^'Make 
me worthy, Sacred Virgin, to announce 
thy praise, give me strength against thy 
enemies." Although the zeal of the holy man 
was not without fruit, as many were con- 
verted to the true faith, the result did not cor- 
respond with his expectations. Many sinners 
and heretics remained obstinate in their errors, 

1 Mfttth. XXV. 21. 



100 The Month of Mary 



and closed their ears to the words of truth. 
Dominie was afflicted at their obstinacy, but 
was comforted by a vision of the Blessed Vir- 
gin, in 1202, by which he learned, that as 
the angelical salutation was the means God 
employed to prepare her for the incarnation 
of his Son ; so the devotion of the Rosary, 
in which that prayer is so frequently repeated, 
would be the best means of confirming men in 
its belief. This advice filled Dominic with the 
greatest consolation. Instead of wearying 
himself with long and tedious controversies, 
as had been his custom, he recommended the 
Rosary to the people in his public discourses ; 
he expounded to them the various mysteries 
it commemorates ; and taught them, both by 
word and example, in what manner they 
should perform this devotion. He soon saw 
that more souls were gained to God by this 
simple means, than by all his other exertions. 
It gave strength and unction to his discourses ; 
it moved the hearts of the most obdurate sin- 
ners, and brought innumerable sectaries 
back to the Church. With reason, then, is 
this prayer so strongly recommended to us. 
In order to promote its adoption among the 
faithful, the Church imparts many indulgences 



The Month of Mary 101 



and other spiritual advantages to those who 
practise it with piety and exactness. K we 
have any care for our own salvation or the 
conversion of our brethren, we should have re- 
course to it; and accompany the recital of 
the prayers with reflections on the mysteries 
of the life, death, and resurrection of our Sav- 
ior, which they are intended to commemorate. 
The faithful practice of this devotion will be 
an eflScacious means of recommending us to 
the protection of the Holy Virgin; who will 
obtain for us, as she did for Dominic, counsel 
in our doubts, and relief in our difficulties. 

Prayer. 

O most prudent Virgin ! in all thy actions 
thou ever hadst the accomplishment of the 
divine will in view, and thy holiness was con- 
tinually receiving additional lustre by the 
perfect fidelity with which thou didst 
correspond with divine grace. I, a poor, un- 
faithful servant of God, implore thy interces- 
sion in my behalf. The consciousness of my 
infidelities terrifies me ; especially when I con- 
sider how destitute I am of all real holiness, 
notwithstanding the special favors I have re- 
ceived from the divine bounty. Ah, faithful 



102 The Month of Mary 

Virgin ! how can I hope to obtain pardon for 
the neglect with which hitherto I have abused 
God's grace, or expect to be hereafter the ob- 
ject of his favor, unless thou dost become my 
advocate for the past, and my security for 
the future? Yes, Holy Virgin I thy fidelity 
shall be from this moment, the model which 
I will endeavor to imitate. I will no longer 
resist the Holy Ghost, by refusing to listen to 
the inspirations which He sends me, but will 
henceforward seek, not to do my own will, 
but the will of my heavenly Father. Offer 
this my resolution, Holy Virgin, to thy 
divine Son, and obtain for me the grace nec- 
essary for faithfully observing it. Amen. 

Practice. 

Resolve to let no day pass without saying, 
if possible, the third part of the Eosary. 
How little do we think of a quarter of an hour 
spent in idle conversation ! If we were really 
devout to Mary, we would find time enough 
for this most salutary and most consoling 
devotion. 

Aspirajtion. 

Mother and Virgin, make me always mind- 
ful of thee !-St. Philip Neri. 



The Month of Mary 103 



FOURTEENTH DAT 



Mirror of Justice^ Pray for us. 

**We see now through a glass."— 1 Cor. xiii. 
12. 

In creating the world, and still more in re- 
deeming it, God proposed to himself His own 
greater glory in the manifestation of His 
divine perfections. 'The Lord hath made all 
things for himself," says the inspired writer 
of the book of Proverbs. ^ Hence creation may 
be likened to a mirror, in which the attributes 
of God are reflected and displayed. This is 
more particularly true of the souls of the just 
than of the material works of God. Such 
souls reflect the attributes of the Deity, in 
consequence of their free co-operation with 
the divine grace ; and are consequently more 
worthy of admiration than if they were merely 
passive mirrors of the divine perfections. 
Mary, then, is peculiarly entitled to the ap- 
pellation of '^Mirror of Justice, "because, both 

1 Proy. xvi. 4. 



104 The Month of Mary 

in the excellence of her natural qualities, and 
the superior perfection of her soul, she more 
truly displayed the perfections of God, than 
the brightest angels who surround His throne 
or the accumulated sanctity of all his saints, 
were all their merits united, and found in one 
person. With what complacency must God 
have looked on this masterpiece of His cre- 
ative and redeeming love ! 

Mary is the mirror of justice, wherein we may 
see and endeavor to imitate what we cannot 
but admire. She has ever been held up to 
Christians as the brightest model of all virtues, 
and her example has had, in every age of the 
Church, the most efficacious influence on the 
morals of the faithful. ' Xet the life of the bless- 
ed Mary,'' says St. Ambrose, ^*be ever present 
to you, in which, as in a mirror, the beauty of 
chastity, and form of virtue shine forth. She 
was a virgin, not only in body, but in mind ; 
who never sullied the pure affection of her 
heart by unworthy feelings. She was humble 
of heart, serious in her conversation, prudent 
in her counsels, fonder of reading than of speak- 
ing. She placed her confidence rather in the 
prayer of the poor, than in the uncertain 
riches of this world. She was ever intent on 



The Month of Mary 105 



her occupations, reserved in her conversation, 
and accustomed to make God, rather than 
man, the witness of her thoughts. She in- 
jured no one, wished well to all, reverenced 
age, yielded not to envy, avoided all boasting, 
followed the dictates of reason, and loved 
virtue. When did she sadden her parents, 
even by a look? When did she quarrel with 
her friends, despise the humble, mock the in- 
firm, or avoid the needy? She only visited 
those whom charity would not disown, nor 
modesty pass by. There was nothing for- 
ward in her looks, bold in her words, or un- 
becoming in her actions. Her carriage was 
not abrupt, her gait not indolent, her voice 
not petulant; so that her very appearance 
was the picture of her mind and the figure of 
piety." So far this holy doctor of the Church. 

We also should endeavor to correspond 
with God's designs in creating and redeeming 
us, and show forth His divine perfections. 
Alas! how humiliating the reflection, that 
hitherto, perhaps, God has in vain looked to 
us for any indication of His wisdom or jus- 
tice. Instead of that innocence to which He 
restored us in baptism, does He not behold 
us immersed in guilt? Instead of that per- 



106 The Month of Mary 

fection to which He has called us, and to at- 
tain which He has given us such abundant 
means, does He not find tepidity and imper- 
fection? Are we mirrors of justice for our 
neighbors, who by seeing us should be excited 
to glorify our Father who is in Heaven ? Do 
we give them the example of justice, temper- 
ance, modesty of language and of manner, de- 
votion and charity, which they have a right 
to expect from us, and on which, perhaps, 
their salvation may depend? What re- 
proaches does conscience make us on this sub- 
ject ! Let us then, for the present turn away 
our eyes from the sight of our own guilt or 
imperfection, and fix them on that bright 
Mirror of Justice which the Church holds up 
to our veneration. Let us beg of her, that 
we may be imitators of her, as she has been 
of Christ ; and let us ask her, with filial con- 
fidence, that we may be known in future as 
her children, by our faithful imitation of the 
virtues she has exempUfied in her life. 

Example. 

J ohn Bessard was a native of the village of 
Stains, in the neighborhood of St. Denis, near 
Paris. He was educated with great care by 



The Month of Mary 107 



the parish priest, and was from his childhood 
a model of purity, and of exact attention to 
all his duties. As he advanced in age he ad- 
vanced in virtue; and, in his thirtieth year, he 
formed an association of several of the vil- 
lagers, whom he assembled on Sundays after 
divine service, that thus they might be pre- 
served from the temptations of intemperance 
and dissipation. He read for them some 
pious book, or made some simple instruction, 
with the approbation of the parish priest. 

He visited all the sick of the village ; and 
during forty years, very few died in it without 
enjoying the benefit of his assistance in their 
last moments. This faithful servant of God 
knew that exterior practices of piety power- 
fully contribute to the promotion of virtue: 
and he accordingly engaged most of his as- 
sociates to enter the confraternity of the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus. He selected this con- 
fraternity in preference to any other; because 
he thought it best calculated to cause the in- 
finite goodness of Jesus Christ to be remem- 
bered. 

On the days specially set apart to honor the 
Sacred Heart of his Divine Master, Bessard, 
and a large number of his fellow villagers. 



108 The Month of Mary 

approached the holy communion. He loved 
to dwell on the sentiment of St. Augustin; 
^^that the side of Jesus has been opened to 
procure us a passage to his heart, where we 
may learn how excessive was his love for men.'' 
He had received the name of John in bap- 
tism, and considered himself specially bound 
to regard the Holy Virgin as his Mother. He 
imitated her silence, her love of solitude, her 
prompt obedience, the purity of her heart, her 
profound humility, her attention to meditate 
on the words of Jesus Christ, and her affection 
for sufferings and humiliations. 

He always spoke of Mary with the most 
profound respect. He proposed her as a 
model to young females, many of whom were 
induced by his exhortation, to secure their 
salvation by embracing the religious state. 
Those who remained in the world acknowl- 
edged that they were indebted for their per- 
severance in virtue and piety, to the habit he 
had made them contract, of regulating their 
conduct after the example of the Mother of 
God. 

This faithful imitator of Mary died in the 
eighty-fourth year of his age, in 1752, at 
Paris, where he was interred. His fellow villa- 



The Month of Mary 109 



gers were inconsolable at not possessing the 
remains of their holy brother, whom for a 
long time they regarded as the tutelary angel 
of the place. 

PrBjyer. 

Mary, glorious mirror of justice ! in whom 
God's perfections are more brightly reflected 
than in any other creature, I humble myself 
before thee, at the view of thy unexampled 
holiness, and I now resolve to take thee for 
the model of my conduct. I am penetrated 
with the most profound regret at the rec- 
ollection of my past sins, which have made 
me, perhaps, an occasion of ruin to many, 
whom, by my good example, I ought to have 
attracted to virtue. When I reflect on all the 
opportunities of doing good, and advancing 
my own and my neighbor's salvation, which I 
have let pass without profit, I dread not only 
the account that I must give of the evil I 
have done, but also what I shall have to 
answer for the good I have neglected to do. 

holy Virgin, be thou my advocate with 
thy divine Son, and make me show forth in 
all my actions the holiness of the God whom 

1 serve, and my sense of the obligations im- 



110 The Month of Marj 



posed on me by the character of thy servant. 
Amen. 

Practice. 

Examine how you have complied with the 
obligation incumbent on all, of giving good 
example. See especially whether you do not 
indulge in imperfections, which diminish the 
influence the general regularity of your con- 
duct would otherwise command? 

Aspiration. 

Sweet heart of Mary, most closely united 
with the adorable heart of Jesus, compassion- 
ate our misery I 



FIFTEENTH DAT 
Seat of Wisdom, Pray for us. 

Wisdom hath built herself a house. ''—Pro v. 
ix. 1. 

Mary was the seat of wisdom, because the 
mother of the increated wisdom— "the first 



The Month of Mary 111 



born before all creatures." As the praises 
of the Son are necessarily participated in by 
the mother, the Church celebrates the dignity 
of Mary by repeating in the public service by 
which she honors her, the praises of her divine 
Son. The wisdom of God was manifested in 
the creation of the world, according to that 
of the psalmist—* ^Thou hast done all things 
in wisdom." In the 24th chapter of the book 
of Ecclesiasticus, the effects of this divine 
wisdom are described. "I came out of the 
mouth of the Most High, the first born be- 
fore all creatures. I made that in the heavens 
there should rise light that never faileth, and 
as a cloud I covered all the earth. I dwelt 
in the highest place, and my throne is in 
a pillar of a cloud. In me is all grace of 
the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of 
life and of virtue."^ And yet this divine wis- 
dom was not esteemed by men, when it dwelt a- 
mong them. Jesus was clad in a fooPs gar- 
ment by the wisdom of this world ! His doc- 
trine is foolishness to those who are prudent 
in their own conceits : and whoever will walk 
in his footsteps must be content to be esteemed 
fools for his sake. Mary participated more in 
this wisdom than any other creature, because 



1 Bccl. xxiv. 



112 The Month of Mary 

she approached nearer the source whence it e- 
manated. If Jerusalem was the subject of the 
prophet's admiration on account of the 
pecuHar presence of God in its holj temple, 
may we not apply his words to Mary— that 
living temple of God, in whom, in Jesus Christ, 
^^the whole plenitude of the divinity dwelt cor- 
porally," and say: ^^Glorious things are said 
of thee, city of God!" 

Mary manifested in all her actions the fruits 
of the divine wisdom which had made her the 
tabernacle of God with men. ^'The fear of the 
Lord," says the Psalmist, '4s the beginning of 
wisdom," and his holy fear was signally dis- 
played in Mary. How great must have been 
this filial fear with which Mary watched over 
all her actions, and which preserved her from 
ever displeasing the divine wisdom. Was 
not her wisdom manifested in the choice of so 
holy a spouse as Joseph; who was at once 
the guardian of her innocence before God, 
and of her character before men ? Was 
not her wisdom displayed, by treasuring 
up in her heart whatever words were spoken 
of her divine son? But why enumerate par- 
ticular instances? Did she not enjoy for 
thirty years the society of Him, of whom the 



The Month of Mary 113 



evangelist remarks that he ^'advanced in 
wisdom, and age, and grace, before God and 
men.''^ 

How happy was Mary in being the favored 
creature, in whom was fulfilled what the 
Eternal Father said to the increated wisdom 
of His Son. ''Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, 
and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root 
in my elect V^'^ How still more happy in dis- 
playing this divine wisdom in her actions? 
While we offer her the homage of our admira- 
tion, on this double title, let us reflect a 
little on ourselves. We, and all other creat- 
ures, are the work of God's wisdom : every- 
thing, both within and without us, is calcu- 
lated to display his attributes. Do we ever 
advert to our obligation of seeing God in all 
things, and of rising from the contem- 
plation of the creature to that of the great 
Creator? The light of reason and revelation 
which we enjoy, are participations of the 
divine wisdom: do we esteem them as we 
ought? Do we never undervalue, by our 
maxims and conversation, the wisdom which 
Christ teaches us in the Gospel? Alas ! how 
much is it to be feared, that, while we esteem 
so much worldly wisdom,— which confines its 

1 Luke ii. 52. 2 eccI. xxiy. 13, 



114 The Month of Mary 

views to the limited prospect of this life, we 
pay but little attention to the dictates of that 
wisdom which is from above, and which alone 
can make us truly wise ! We should remem- 
ber that the wisdom of this world is foolish- 
ness with God ; and that the secrets of divine 
wisdom are imparted to the poor and humble, 
w^hile they are hidden from the wise and pru- 
dent. Let us not, then, be wise in our own con- 
ceits, but carefully imitate the example of her 
whom the Church calls the "Seat of Wisdom." 

Example, 

Leander Yandrisse was born at Lille, on the 
5th of November, 1808, of worthy parents ; 
at a suitable age he was apprenticed to a 
printer. Being naturally well disposed, he 
delighted in succoring the distressed. Hav- 
ing once saved up a little money to purchase 
for himself some articles of dress, he was pro- 
ceeding to buy them, when he met with a poor 
creature, who appeared ready to expire from 
hunger. Leander gave him the money he had 
about him, and, quite pleased with the good 
action he had done, entered a church to pray. 
On this occasion, however, he acted more from 
natural sensibility, than from the higher 
motives supplied by religion. 



The Month of Mary 115 

About this time he was much addicted to the 
reading of romances and novels, of which he 
was passionately fond, and which filled his 
mind with many vain and dangerous 
thoughts. Happily he one day took up a 
good book,— *^The History of Religion, by 
Lhomond." He was delighted with the sim- 
ple and interesting style of this writer; and 
he soon felt disgusted at the light and frivol- 
ous works in which he formerly took pleasure. 

am tired of novels," said he to a friend, who, 
like him, was much devoted to that kind of 
reading; "I find within myself a frightful void. 
I must adopt a settled line of conduct, and be 
entirely virtuous: otherwise I fear I shall turn 
out badly. I must choose between an eternity 
of happiness and an eternity of misery. Eter- 
nity! Do you really feel the force of this awful 
word? Had you read the terrific description 
of hell I perused a few days ago! I cannot hide 
from myself that I must die, and that my life 
hangs on a thread !" 

Shortly afterwards, Leander made a gener- 
al confession, and, during the remainder of his 
life, gave the most edifying example of the 
virtues of his state. He formed a society of 
young artizans, who often met during the 



116 The Month of Mary 

week-evenings, to recite the Eosary together. 
For some time Leander was threatened with 
consumption, which at length brought him to 
the grave. During his sickness, all his 
thoughts were turned to God, and to the 
Blessed Virgin, whom he regarded as the pro- 
tectress of persons in their last agony. The 
only uneasiness he felt, arose from his ardent 
desire to see one of his friends converted to 
God. Immediately before death, he seemed 
to enjoy a foretaste of the joys of heaven. 
''What a happiness! What a happiness!" he 
would exclaim. ''What .have I ever done to 
deserve it. I owe it all to the holy Virgin." 
In these sentiments he expired on the 21st of 
March, 1833. 

Prayer. 

Mary, thou art in truth the "Seat of Wis- 
dom." The Holy Ghost, the spirit of wisdom 
who overshadowed thee, and the Son of God, 
the Eternal Wisdom of the Father, who dwelt 
in thy sacred womb, and rested on thy holy 
arms, imparted to thee all the gifts and treas- 
ures of supernatural wisdom. Behold me, a 
poor sinner, whose intellect is clouded by the 
mists of evil passions, and who so often mis- 



The Month of Mary 117 



takes evil for good, behold me now prostrate 
at thy feet,— imploring thee to obtain for me 
light to guide my steps in this dark world. 
Make me ever docile to the inspirations of the 
Holy Spirit, and teach me to esteem more the 
folly of the cross than all the wisdom of the 
world. Obtain for me a simple, guileless mind, 
and permit me not that while I profess to be 
a disciple of thy divine Son, the true and un- 
created Wisdom of the Father, I should be 
found to be influenced by the false maxims of 
the world. Make me always recur to thee, 
sacred Virgin, as the best advocate with God ; 
and obtain pardon for my past perversity, in 
practically contemning the only true wisdom, 
and exposing myself to the danger of being 
eternally obliged to lament my folly. Amen. 

PrBjCtice. 

Eesolve to read a chapter each day in 
some pious author. The reading of a good 
book gave an Ignatius to the Church ! 

Aspiration. 

To thee do we raise our eyes, O holy Mother 
of God. 



118 The Month of Mary 



! 



SIXTEENTH DAT 



Cause of Our Joy ^ Pray for us- 

'Thou art the joj of Israel. "—Judith 
XV. 10. 

With what delight must the heart of that 
noble woman, Judith, have expanded, when 
Joachim, the high- priest, came from Jerusa- 
lem to Bethulia with all his ancients to see her, 
and said to her, in the name of the entire peo- 
ple: 'Thou art the glory of Jerusalem; thou 
art the joy of Israel; thou art the honor of our 
people But how much more justly does the 
Church apply these words to Mary, whom she 
thus addresses on the festival of her Nativity; 
' 'Thy Nativity, holy Mother of God, brought 
universal joy to the world; for from thee a- 
rose the Sun of Justice, Christ our Lord." Tru- 
ly she is the "joy of the whole earth" in a 
much more perfect sense than Jerusalem was 
declared to be by the prophet. Had not God 
given us a Redeemer, how joyless would be 
our state ! To every child of Adam it is a vale 



The Month of Mary 119 



of tears; and those who seem to enjoy most 
of its happiness, know by experience that all 
earthly satisfaction is vain and transitory. 
Were it not for religion, and the ennobling and 
consoling hopes it holds out to our view, the 
world would be in reality, what some of the 
ancient philosophers imagined it to be, a place 
of punishment, where criminals were placed 
without any knowledge of the cause of their 
misfortune, or any means whereby it might be 
remedied. 

Jesus Christ, who came not only to give 
glory to God, but peace on earth to men of 
goodwill, has entirely changed our situation. 
If we feel that we are guilty children of a 
guilty parent, we know that in Him we have 
a Kedeemer, who has made abundant satis- 
faction for our offences, andby means of whom 
we can become reconciled with God. If we 
suffer from the rebellion of our own passions, 
we have, in His divine grace, the means 
whereby they may be subdued. Without this 
divine aid, we might be hurried into excesses 
which our reason and conscience would con- 
demn, but would not control, and which would 
eventually lead us to regard life itself as an 
intolerable burden. If we have to endure 



120 The Month of Mary 

tribulation, the thought of Jesus Christ 
and of his humihations, privations, and 
sufferings, reconciles us to our lot, and even 
makes us glory in tribulation. If we nat- 
urally recoil from death,— from that depart- 
ure out of life, which, in itself and its con- 
sequences, is so awfully important,— the hope 
of that future glory which the Son of Mary 
has purchased for us by His blood, more 
than suffices to calm our agitations, and 
make fear give way to hope. Truly, then, did 
Isaias describe the Messiah as the Prince of 
Peace. While we pour out our hearts in 
gratitude to Him, for this amelioration of 
our state, can we, or ought we, forget her, 
whom the Church styles the Mother of the 
Prince of Peace, and the ^^cause of our joy"? 

While we are sensible of this truth, and give 
thanks to God for this great benefit of 
spiritual peace and joy, of which Mary is the 
cause, through the merits of her divine Son, 
let us see whether we participate in this good 
to the extent that we ought. Do we feel the joy 
of a good conscience? Have we that humble 
hope, that we have been washed from the 
defilement of sin in the blood of the Lamb, 
which the devout reception of the sacraments 



The Month of Mary 121 



is calculated to produce? Perhaps we have 
rejected these means of salvation; perhaps 
we have abused them, by receiving them with- 
out the proper dispositions. Should this un- 
fortunately be the case, how can we truly 
call Mary the cause of our joy, when, al- 
though she has given us the source of true 
happiness, we have not permitted its influence 
to reach our souls ; but have preferred the 
gloom and agitation of a troubled conscience, 
to the joy and tranquillity which this Prince 
of Peace would have established in them. Let 
us take the resolution to find rest for our 
souls, by applying to them the healing balm 
of a Redeemer's mercy. By regularity of life, 
and exactness and fervor in God's service, we 
will secure for ourselves the joy of a good con- 
science; and thus we may hope to merit, 
through Jesus Christ, a participation in the 
joys of God's kingdom, which will never end. 

Saint Benedict J oseph Labre was born in the 
village of Annettes, near Boulogne-sur-mer, in 
France. He visited Italy, for the purpose of 
improving himself in the practice of virtue, and 
venerating the sacred shrines of the apostles. 



122 The Month of Mary 

He made a pilgrimage to the Holy House at 
Loretto, in which the Mother of God dwelt while 
on earth; and the extraordinary graces he 
received there, inspired him with a lasting 
affection for this venerated place, and made 
him repeat his visit no less than ten different 
times during the remaining years of his life. 
After this great sanctuary, that which he 
loved most, out of Rome, was the Church of 
*'Our Lady of Hermits" in the diocese of Con- 
stance. 

This holy man embraced a life of voluntary 
poverty, and seems to have been destined by 
Providence, to recall to men's minds the pov- 
erty of Christ. He eat nothing but the frag- 
ments which he received as a mendicant ; and 
esteemed himself happy in suffering hunger, 
thirst, and all the inconveniences of traveling: 
for he had ever before his eyes the mortified 
life of the most Holy Virgin. He gloried in 
appearing clad with the livery of this amiable 
Mother, and always wore a chaplet (or beads) 
round his neck. It was diflScult to see him 
pray before an image of Mary, and not feel 
deeply moved. 

He was often found at a very early hour at 
the gate of the church of ''Our Lady of the 



The Month of Mary 123 



Mountains" at Eome, in which, during the 
eight years of his residence in that city, he 
daily spent many hours motionless on his 
knees, more like a seraph than a mortal man. 
In the beginning of 1783 he consecrated to the 
Mother of God all the moments of that year, 
which was to be his last. His strength daily 
diminished, but his fervor seemed to increase. 
On the Wednesday in Holy Week, he went 
to pray at the gate of his favorite church of 
**Our Lady of the Mountains." He suddenly 
felt an excessive langor come over him, and 
fainted on the steps of the church. He was 
brought into a house in the neighborhood, 
whither some zealous religious followed him to 
administer the last consolations of religion. 
They began to pray, and at these words: 
''Holy Mary, pray for him," this faithful ser- 
vant of Mary calmly rendered up his soul to 
God, without any appearance of agony. 

Prayer. 

Mary ! what sentiments shall I have at 
the hour of death ? When I consider my sins, 
and think on that decisive moment, on which 
my eternal happiness or misery will depend, I 
am seized with fear and trembling. sweet 



124 The Month of Mary 

Mother, in the blood of Jesus Christ, and in 
thy powerful intercession for its application 
to my soul, is all my hope. If, at present, I 
am tormented with remorse for my sins,— if 
I am uneasy when I consider the uncertainty 
of my having blotted them out by sincere 
penance, and am troubled at the danger 
of relapse ; what will my sentiments then be ! 
Unless thou wilt assist me, I shall be lost. 
Obtain for me, Holy Virgin, during life, 
a sincere sorrow for my sins, and a persevering 
fidelity in the observance of God's com- 
mandments, that thus I may partake of the 
joy of a good conscience. Dispel the illusions 
with which the enemy of my soul will endeavor 
to betray me into eternal misery, at the hour 
of my death. May thy name, and the name of 
thy Divine Son be ever on my lips ; and when my 
tongue refuses to articulate them, may my 
dying heart heave with emotions of heavenly 
love. Assist me, Sacred Virgin, both now, 
and in the hour of my death. May my last 
words be, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and my last 
act, an act of love of God. Amen. 

Practice. 

Eesolve to approach the sacraments of pen- 



The Month of Mary 125 

ance and the holy eucharist, on all the festi- 
vals of the Blessed Virgin. 

Aspiration. 

Mary, may my heart never cease to love 
thee, nor my tongue to praise thee !— St. Bon- 
aventure. 



SEVENTEENTH DAT 

Vessel of Honor,— Vessel of Singular 
Devotion, Pray for us. 

'^This is an admirable Vessel, the work of 
the Most High."— Ecel. xliii. 2. 

Tffls praise is given by the inspired writer 
to that glorious luminary, the sun, from 
which this world derives life and light, by 
which the fruits of the earth are matured, 
and the earth itself made to assume a 
variety of beautiful colors. We may apply 
to Mary the same words of praise, but in 
a much more elevated sense. She is that 



126 The Month of Mary 

most pure vessel in which the second person of 
the blessed Trinity became incarnate, and who, 
in Mary,— that is the nature he assumed of 
Mary, is the sun of justice which enlighten- 
eth every man that cometh into the world. 
His grace is so necessary for us, that unless 
it develop and mature the seeds of goodness 
implanted in our hearts, we can never hope to 
bring forth fruit. He alone is able to produce 
this effect ; and without his divine assistance, 
our efforts are vain, according to that of the 
apostle : ^'I have planted, Appollo watered, but 
God gave the increase." ^ 

Mary is also styled a vessel of singular 
devotion, on account of the faithfulness 
and fervor with which she discharged her 
devotional exercise of prayer and con- 
templation. If her divine Son spent whole 
nights in prayer, we may be satisfied that 
Mary did not cease to profit by an example 
which so many motives induced her to im- 
itate. In fact, her whole life was principal- 
ly occupied in this sacred duty. While in the 
temple, in which she remained from an early 
age, she profited by all the opportunities she 
there had to commune with God by prayer. 
What was her life after she had conceived the 

11 Cor. iii. 6. 



The Month of Mary 127 



Son of God, but a constant exercise of this 
holy duty ; for what is prayer but the union 
of the soul with God; and surely Mary 
failed not to profit by the extraordinary op- 
portunities she possessed of enjoying so high 
and holy a privilege. 

While celebrating the perfect piety of Mary, 
we should endeavor to profit by the example 
she has given to us. The child naturally imi- 
tates the mother. We are Mary's children : 
because she is the mother of the first-born 
among many brethren, and because Jesus 
Christ has commended us to her in the per- 
son of St. John. ^^Woman, behold thy son."^ 
We are then bound to imitate her ; and had 
we for her the affection of children, we would 
blush not to resemble her in our actions. 
What are then our feelings with regard to the 
holy duty of prayer? Perhaps we find it an 
irksome obligation, rather than a delightful 
duty. Under the infiuence of this feeling, have 
we not occasionally neglected it, or discharg- 
ed it in a hurried and careless manner? Why 
do we not find in prayer the consolations 
which the saints experienced ? We are aston- 
ished, when we read that they spent whole 
days and nights in prayer. Ah ! we have not 



1 St. John xix. 26. 



128 The Month of Mary 

yet learned to pray as the saints prayed ; we 
have not learned to forget the world or our- 
selves when we appear before God ; or to con- 
centrate our thoughts on His divine perfec- 
tions and inconceivable mercies. Hence we 
too often find in prayer that aridity and dis- 
traction which are the result of a distracted 
head and a divided heart. With the apostles, 
let us ask our Lord to teach us to pray ; and 
employ the powerful intercession of Mary, to 
obtain for us this golden key, by which we 
may unlock the treasury of God's mercy. 

Example. 

It is not easy to read without emotion the 
narrative of the last moments of a young per- 
son, who, during the short time she lived on 
earth, distinguished herself by extraordinary 
devotion to the Queen of Virgins, whose vir- 
tues she endeavored to imitate. This inno- 
cent creature remained in an asylum, conse- 
crated to the mother of God, till her eigh- 
teenth year. Very different from those of her 
age, she looked forward with trembling anxie- 
ty to the period which was to restore her to 
her parents. She often cast herself at the feet 
of Mary, and besought her to procure for her 



The Month of Mary 129 



a happy death, rather than permit her to be 
exposed to the dangers of the world, if her in- 
nocence would suffer by its contagious influ- 
ence. So touching a prayer could nofc but be 
heard. The pious Amelia soon perceived that 
she was suffering from a malady which grad- 
ually undermined her constitution, and 
brought her, in a short time, to the verge of 
the grave. Tranquillity and resignation were 
the only sentiments she manifested. Filial 
love for her God had banished all terror. ^'I 
fear nothing/' she exclaimed, in one of her de- 
vout aspirations to Mary, '^I fear nothing: 
under the protection of so powerful an advo- 
cate, what have I to fear from my Savior?" 

The spirit of continual prayer was her only 
support in her extreme sufferings. suffer 
no pain,'' she would say, *Vhen T converse 
with ^ Jesus: — leave me with Jesus." Every 
word that escaped her lips was carefully 
noted, especially as her end drew nigh. She 
frequently exclaimed, in a firm voice: ^'Mary, 
show thyself to be a mother. During life 
thou hast ever been such to me. Do not a- 
bandon me in this decisive hour. Jesus, 
Mary, Joseph I" Taking from the hands of 
one of her companions a picture of the Blessed 



130 The Month of Mary 

Virgin, she reverently kissed it, and placed it 
on her breast. She then asked for the image 
of her crucified Savior, and approaching it to 
her pale lips, she said : ''0 my God, I adore 
thee," and expired. 

Prayer. 

most holy Virgin, thou art justly called 
a spiritual and honorable vessel ; because the 
Lord thy God enriched thee with the choicest 
gifts of the Holy Ghost. Thy thoughts were 
always great and noble; thy feelings holy; 
thy designs pure and sublime. Thou hadst 
no other ambition than to honor God, no 
other desire than to love Him, no other wish 
than to possess Him. The choicest gifts of 
nature, of grace, and glory, were imparted 
to thee without measure; whereas, I am 
nothing else than a vessel of sin and misery. 
Most pure Mother ! have compassion on me ; 
reconcile Me with thy Son ; commend me, and 
present me to Him, that, through thy inter- 
cession, I may be made partaker of His in- 
finite merits, and never more seek anything 
but what is divine and everlasting. Amen. 



The Month of Mary ISl 



Practice. 

Kesolve to dedicate, each morniDg, all the 
actions of the day to the greater honor and 
glory of God. Offer them through Mary to 
her Son. 

AspirBjtion. 

By thee we have access to thy Son, O 
Mother of our salvation. May He who was 
given to us by thee, receive us through thy 
Intercession !— St. Bernard. 



EIGHTEENTH DAT 
Mystical Rose, Pray for us. 

'^1 was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, 
and as a rose-plant in Jericho."-— Eccl. xxiv. 
18. 

Among flowers there is none so beautiful as 
the rose, as among the daughters of Eve 
there was none so beautiful as Mary, who is 



132 The Month of Mary 

called in the canticle '^the most beautiful of 
women. " ^ But although her external appear- 
ance was the image of the beauty of her soul, 
it could not fully represent it. ^^How beauti- 
ful art thou, my love/' says Christ to her in 
the canticle of canticles, ^^how beautiful 
art thou,— thy eyes are dove's eyes, besides 
what is hid within."^ Her external appear- 
ance was, indeed, invested with an air of 
sanctity, that inspired the beholder with the 
love of virtue, but her internal perfection was 
far superior ; and the psalmist declares, that 
'^all the beauty of the king's daughter"— Mary 
is the daughter of the Great King— '^is from 
within." ^ It was this interior beauty of per- 
fection that rendered her so lovely in the sight 
of God; it was the sweet perfume of her virtues 
that entitled her to the approbation of the 
heavenly King. ^^I gave a sweet smell," says 
she, "like cinnamon and aromatical balm. I 
yielded a sweet odor, like the best myrrh."* 
As the beauty and fragrance of the rose 
are surrounded and protected by thorns, 
so was the virtue of Mary accompanied and 
perfected by the tribulations she endured. 
Hence in the canticles it is said: "As the 
lily among thorns, so is my love among the 

1 Cant. V. 9. 2 Cant. iv. 1. ^ pg. xiiy, 14. ^ eccI. xxiv. 20. 



The Month of Mary 133 



daughters/'^ "As the rose/' remarks a holy 
writer, "grows among thorns, so the blessed 
Virgin grew up and was perfected in trib- 
ulation. And as in proportion as the rose 
matures, in the same degree the thorns in- 
crease; thus Mary, in proportion as she 
advanced in years, was tried in the ordeal of 
tribulations." How great were the trials to 
which God's providence exposed her ! Who 
can conceive what she suffered from the un- 
easiness created in the mind of Joseph, by the 
divine mystery, which her humility prevented 
her from disclosing to this most affectionate 
spouse ? Her journey to Bethlehem, the trying 
circumstances under which she brought forth 
Jesus Christ, the flight into Egypt, and her 
residence in a strange country, where she had 
to suffer a thousand privations in consequence 
of the poverty of her condition, were so 
many thorns by which God encompassed 
this mystical rose. On her return to Judea, 
how much must she have suffered, while 
passing through Jerusalem, from fear and 
anxiety lest the son of Herod should 
accomplish the impious design of his de- 
ceased father, and imbrue his hands in the 
blood of the infant Messiah ! How much did 



1 Cant. ii. 2. 



134 The Month of Mary 

this most affectionate of all Mothers have 
to suffer when the child Jesus remained be- 
hind in Jerusalem, and she and her holj 
spouse sought him ^^sorrowing" for three 
days? As the time approached in which 
Jesus was to commence his divine mission, 
and consummate the great work of our re- 
demption, the most loving heart of Mary felt 
all a mother's solicitude, and all a mother's 
grief, at the foresight of what He was to en- 
dure. During the three years of his mission, 
every danger to which He was exposed, 
every attempt made upon His life,— every 
obloquy cast on Him,— was keenly felt by 
this most tender parent. Truly, then, did her 
sorrows increase with the development of her 
own supereminent virtue : which, although it 
sustained her under them, did not render 
them less sensible or less afflicting. May we 
not then say to her with the spouse in the 
canticles: ^'As the lily among thorns, so is 
my love among the daughters?" 

If we are attracted by the sweet fragrance 
of Mary's virtues, we are taught by her 
character, as Mystical Rose, that tribulations 
are the lot of the most favored servants of 
God. There is onty one way to heaven,— that 



The Month of M^ry 185 

in which Jesus Christ himself has walked, and 
in which we are to follow His footsteps. 
^^Ought not Christ/' says He himself, '^to 
suffer these things, and so enter into his 
glory/' ^ Mary, Joseph, the Apostles, in fine, 
all the servants of God, have passed through 
many tribulations, and thus entered into the 
kingdom of heaven. This seems almost a 
necessary part of God's providence. Were 
earth the place of our permanent abode, we 
might be naturally surprised and afflicted at 
finding ourselves exposed to suffering; but 
as heaven is our home, we cannot hope for 
perfect rest or satisfaction, as long as we are 
strangers and foreigners in a distant country. 
Every trial that we experience is an act of 
God's mercy, by which He endeavors to de- 
tatch us from earth and its frivolities, and 
direct our thoughts to that place, where a- 
lone there is unalloyed joy. Why, then, do we 
wonder at this providence of God? Why do 
we repine when we experience it, and, not un- 
frequently, make these means of purifying 
our affections, and approaching closer to God, 
so many occasions on which we manifest the 
unworthy sentiments of our hearts, and 
cause God to retire still farther from us ? Ah, 

1 Luke xxiv. 26, 



136 The Month of Mary 

let us think on Mary, and remember that as 
her virtue isUkened in the Scripture to myrrh, 
whose scent is sweet, but whose taste is bit- 
ter ; so our humble imitation of her, while it 
diffuses around us the ^'good odor of Christ," 
will make us partake of the bitterness of His 
chalice. 

Example. 

What better example can be proposed to 
the devout admirer of the Mystical Rose, 
than that of St. Stanislas Kostka, who may 
be justly styled ^^the flower of holy youth." 
This most faithful servant of Mary, after en- 
during much from the violence of an elder 
brother, contrived to elude his unjust vigil- 
ance, and entered the Society of Jesus. He 
died in the odor of consummate sanctity 
while yet a novice. On the first of August, 
the month in which he died, he heard a ser- 
mon, in which the novices were exhorted to 
spend each day as if it were to be the last of their 
lives. After the discourse was over, Stanislas 
told his companions that he recognized in 
this advice the voice of God, admonishing 
him that his death would take place in the 
course of the month— whether it was that 



The Month of Mary 137 

God had vouchsafed to make him an express 
revelation to that effect, or that He had given 
him a strong presentiment of what was 
to happen. His companions, seeing the per- 
fect health of the young prophet, laughed 
at what he said, and only regarded it as the 
expression of his desires. Four days after- 
wards Stanislas accompanied Father Em- 
manuel to the church of Santa Maria Mag- 
giore, and, on the way, spoke of the approach- 
ing festival of the Assumption. ^ ^Father, ' ' said 
the holy youth, ^^how beautiful will Paradise be 
on that day ! On that day the Mother of God 
is crowned Queen of heaven, and elevated a- 
bove the choirs of angels ! Ah, if it be true, 
that each year this festival is renewed in the 
heavenly Jerusalem, I have great confidence, 
good Mother ! that I shall soon behold it 
The manner in which he expressed these last 
words astonished his companion. 

That very evening he felt the first attack of 
a fever, which, although slight, was regarded 
by him as a sure indication of his approaching 
end. On retiring to rest, he said with a tra ns- 
port of inexpressible joy, '^I shall never more 
rise from this bed, what a happiness ! Death 
is a real blessing. Ah, my good Mother, thou 



138 The Month of Mary 

hast obtained for thy unworthy child the 
grace of being with thee on the festival of thy 
triumph!'' On the vigil of the Assumption, 
the malady appeared still inconsiderable, and 
did not present any alarming symptom; but 
the saint told a lay brother that he would die 
on the following night. Shortly afterwards 
he became remarkably worse. The superior 
ran to his room. Stanislas begged to have 
the ground strewed with ashes, on which he 
desired to be laid, that thus he might die as 
became a penitent ; his request was granted. 
He then confessed and received the holy 
Viaticum, and afterwards extreme unction, 
with sentiments of extraordinary piety. 
Sometimes he would turn his eyes to the 
crucifix, and fix them on his dying Savior ; at 
other times, he would kiss, and press to his 
heart, an image of Mary. One of the religious 
asked him, ^^Of what use are these beads that 
you have in your hand, as you are not able to 
recite them?" ^^They serve,'' answered the 
young saint, ^^to console me by reminding me 
of my Mother." ^Tou will be still happier," an- 
swered the father, 'In seeing her in heaven." 
On hearing this, his countenance became quite 
inflamed, as he rallied his departing strength 



The Month of Mary 139 

to raise higj hands and indicate the desire with 
which he languished to behold her. Some 
moments after, on the 15th of August, at the 
dawn of day, he calmly expired ; his eyes re- 
mained fixed on heaven. It was only when 
the image of the blessed Virgin was placed 
before them, that, his insensibility being no- 
ticed, it was discovered that he had passed to 
her society in heaven. All these circumstan- 
ces are related on the authority of many, 
and those most credible, witnesses who were 
present ; and who, enchanted with so beauti- 
ful a spectacle, cried out with one voice, ^Tre- 
cious in the sight of the Lord is the death of 
his saints."^ 

Prayer. 

most amiable Mother, thou didst please 
God from the beginning, by thy uncontamin- 
ated beauty ; and by thy sanctity and per- 
fection thou hast spread over the whole earth 
a beautiful odor of virtue. Thou art indeed 
a mystical rose, the joy and consolation 
of the banished children of Eve. Obtain 
for me the grace to please, every day more 
and more, thy divine Son, and by the in- 
nocence and holiness of my life to spread 

1 Ps. cxiy. 5. 



140 The Month of Mary 

abroad the sweet odor of Christ in every 
place. Obtain for me, also, patience under 
the inflictions of God's providence, by which 
He designs to facilitate and secure my salva- 
tion, but which I have but too often made the 
occasion of murmuring and repining. May I 
henceforward imitate thy example, and be 
equally indifferent to poverty or wealth, con- 
tumely or praise, sickness or health, and a- 
lone solicitous for the accomplishment of the 
will of my heavenly Father. Amen. 

Practice. 

Let not this day pass without offering to 
Mary some act of mortification, either of the 
will, or the curiosity, or the senses, or the ap- 
petite. The rose of virtue must bloom'amidst 
the thorns of self-denial. 

Aspiration. 

We fly to thy patronage, Holy Mother of 
God! 



The Month of Mary 141 



NINETEENTH DAT 



Tower of David y Pray for us. 

'*Thj neck is as the tower of David, which is 
built with bulwarks. ''—Cant. iv. 4. 

^^The name of the Lord is a strong tower," 
says the inspired author of the book of 
Proverbs. We are here on earth, as in a field 
of battle: our enemies are numerous and 
strong. Besides our own passions, we have to 
contend with "the spirit of wickedness in high 
places;"^ that is, with Lucifer and the com- 
panions of his fall, who seek to involve us in 
their guilt and its punishment. When we 
consider how much superior to us in intelli- 
gence and power are these unhappy spirits, 
who once held the highest places in heaven, 
and how much they envy us who are destined 
to occupy the thrones of glory, which 
they lost by disobedience; we may easily 
conceive how incessant and powerful are their 
efforts to ruin us. Were we to depend on our- 

1 Eph, vi. 12. 



142 The Month of Mary 

selves, we could not stand for a moment be- 
fore them; we should be the easy prey of their 
power, and the sport of their malignant in- 
telligence. But we have the authority of 
God's word for declaring, that 'Vhoever shall 
invoke the name of the Lord, shall be saved." ^ 
It is then by distrusting our own weakness, 
and by flying to the strong tower, which is 
God's name, that we shall baffle the wiles, 
and triumph over the assaults, of our spiritual " 
enemies. 

Mary is called the ''Tower of David," be- 
cause as Mother of the Redeemer, the Son of 
David, she is to men a tower of refuge from 
the face of the enemy. If the invocation of 
the sacred name of Jesus be sufficient to put 
our enemies to flight, we ought to remember 
that we cannot pronounce this saving name, 
in a manner pleasing to God, unless assisted 
by his grace. We ought, then, to dread our own 
unworthiness ; and seek to secure for ourselves 
the saving influence of this holy name, by the 
intercession of her, whose ''neck is as the tow- 
er of David, which is built with bulwarks :— a 
thousand bucklers hang from it, all the armor 
of vaUant men." The enemy of our souls flies 
at the mention of her name ; because she has 

1 Rom. X. 13. 



The Month of Mary 143 



crushed his head, and because he despairs of 
wounding any one whom she defends, by op- 
posing her buckler to his fiery darts. Hence 
she is called by a writer, not liable to the 
suspicion of exaggerated piety: '^the terror of 
hell, the hope of Christians, and our sure pro- 
tection." ^ Hence St. Bonaventure, addressing 
her, says: ^'Thou art our sure protection, 
most Sacred Virgin. Under the wings of thy 
clemency do we flee: save and protect us." 
The intercession of Mary will obtain for us 
strength to resist every evil suggestion, every 
foul temptation, however violent it may be. 
Aided by such a powerful protectress, al- 
though we should walk in the midst 
of the valley of death— that is, although 
we should find ourselves every instant 
exposed to danger, and see around us the 
bodies of our fallen brethren— we shall fear no 
evil, because she will be with us. To her, after 
God, we will gratefully ascribe the triumpti we 
shall have gained over our enemies, and say 
to her: ^^Thou hast been a tower of strength 
against the face of the enemy." ^ 

Although the consideration of the enemies 
with whom we have to contend— their number, 
their power, and superior skill— are calculated 

1 Erasmus, Orat. ad Virginem. 12. 2 pp. ij. 4. 



144 The Month of Mary 

to fill us with distrust in the result of the con- 
test, we have protection in Mary. Courage, 
then, must animate us; and instead of 
fearing, we should ever despise the strata- 
gems, and repel the open attacks, of our 
enemies. But this courage, without which 
no man can hope to conquer, must be reg- 
ulated by prudence. Mary will protect us, 
in all the dangers which befall us in the 
order of Providence; but she will not 
protect us, if we expose ourselves to the 
danger we ought to shun, and act rather 
from the impulse of self-confidence, than 
from the dictates of duty. God himself is 
not pledged to protect us in such circum- 
stances; it is our weakness, and not our 
presumption, that he has promised to assist. 
Mary, then, will not be a 'Tower of David" 
to us, if we rashlj expose ourselves to danger, 
by reading bad or dangerous books, by fre- 
quenting the society of those whose bad ex- 
ample is likely to corrupt our morals, or by un- 
necessary intimacy with others, whose prin- 
ciples may pervert us, or whose tepedity may 
chill the ardor of our zeal for the service of 
God. If we have frequently received wounds 
from our spiritual enemies, it is because we 



The Month of Mary 145 



neglected to shield ourselves with the protec- 
tion of Mary, or because we acted on the er- 
roneous idea, that that protection would be 
unconditionally afforded to us. Salutary re- 
gret for the past must be united with cautious 
vigilance for the future; that thus we may 
prove ourselves good soldiers of Jesus Christ, 
and having '^fought the good fight and kept 
the faith," we may be entitled to receive from 
him the unfading crown of glory, which he has 
promised to bestow on those who have over- 
come. 

Example, 

We can have no better illustration of the 
protecting powers of Mary than that afforded 
by St. Ignatius of Loyola, who, from being 
a soldier of the world, became a vahant 
champion of Christian faith and piety. This 
saint, whom Providence raised up in most 
dangerous times, to be the founder of the 
Society of Jesus, and, thereby, the instrument 
of so much good in the Church, ascribed his 
conversion, and the other graces he received 
from God, to the intercession of Mary. While 
recovering from the effects of a wound he had 
received at Pampeluna, which he had bravely 



146 The Month of Mary 

defended, he conceived the design of dedicat- 
ing himself to God, being moved thereunto by 
the reading of the lives of Christ and the saints. 
He offered himself first to Mary, and most earn- 
estly besought her to present and recommend 
him to her divine Son. As he was one night 
kneeling before her image, and, with tears, 
imploring her to be his protectress, the holy 
Virgin with her divine Son appeared to him ; 
and this vision produced the most extra- 
ordinary change in his interior. His heart 
was entirely changed, and he, who had hither- 
to suffered much from impure thoughts, 
found himself ever afterwards delivered 
from them. A man of so noble a character 
as Ignatius could not be content with an 
imperfect conversion, and he resolved to 
dedicate himself entirely to God's service. As 
soon as his wound was healed, he left his 
father's house with the view of abandoning 
the world. He went to Montserrat, where 
there was a celebrated image of Mary, 
much venerated by all Spain, As he j ourneyed 
along, he thought he could not do anything 
more likely to render himself worthy to appear 
before the Mother of God, than to make a vow 
of perfect continence. When he arrived at the 



The Month of Mary 147 



church, he made a general confession, which 
occupied him three days, and which he was fre- 
quently forced to interrupt by the excess of his 
grief for having offended God. After the man- 
ner of the old knights, he hung up his sword at 
the altar of the Blessed Virgin, to signify, that 
in future he would only serve her divine Son; 
and remained the whole night in the church, 
watching and praying. When he meditated 
the establishment of his new Society, he chose 
one of the principal festivals of Mary to com- 
mence the good work. He and his compan- 
ions made their vows on the festival of her 
Assumption, in the chapel of Our Lady at 
Montmartre, near Paris, and annually re- 
newed them on the same day. He constantly 
carried about with him a picture of the Moth- 
er of God; and in all difficulties and under- 
takings had recourse to her intercession. He 
was careful to inspire all his disciples with a 
tender devotion to this Virgin Mother, that 
thus they might be assisted by her protection 
in all their difficult undertakings. One day, 
as Father Araoz, his relative, on taking leave 
of him, manifested great regret at the separ- 
ation ; Ignatius, to console him, presented him 
with an image of the Holy Virgin, which he 



148 The Month of Mary 

had borne round his neck, and assured him, 
that in all dangers of soul and body, he had 
constantly experienced the protection of 
Mary. 

Prayer. 

Mary, Tower of David ! be thou my pro - 
tectress in the fierce struggle with the enemies 
of my soul. I have been for a long time a 
miserable slave of Satan; but now I renounce 
him, and dedicate myself to thy service, to 
honor and serve thee all the days of my life. 
Accept of me, and do not reject me, as I 
merit. mother of mercy, in thee do I place 
full confidence ; through thee do I hope to ob- 
tain all grace. I bless and return thanks to 
God for having inspired me with these feelings 
towards thee, which I regard as a pledge of my 
salvation. Alas I hitherto I have been con- 
quered, because 1 did not recur to thee. Now 
I hope by the merits of Jesus Christ, and 
through thy intercession, to obtain pardon 
for my past weakness, and courage and 
strength to contend, even to the last, for the 
prize of eternal life. But I may unfortunate- 
ly relapse. My enemies are not destroyed. 
How many new temptations have I yet to 



The Month of Mary 149 



overcome! Ah, most powerful Virgin, pro- 
tect me, and suffer me not to be ever again 
vanquished. I know that with thy assistance I 
shall conquer; but I fear lest I should neglect 
to invoke it. Ah ! dear Mother, obtain for 
me then this grace, that I may always invoke 
thee in the hour of peril ; and that my heart 
and tongue may say : "Mary, show thyself a 
mother, and suffer me not to lose my God by 
sin I Amen.'' 

PrBjCtice. 

Eesolve carefully to avoid all occasions of 
sin. The man who presumes, will certainly 
fall. It is better to fly a thousand times, 
than be once overcome. 

Aspiration. 

Be to us, Mary, a tower of strength a- 
gainst the face of the enemy ! 



150 The Month of Mary 



TVENTIETH DAT 



Tower of Ivory, House of Gold, 
Pray for us. 

"Solomon made a great throne of ivory, 
and covered it with the most pure gold.'*— 
3 Kings X. 18. 

'^Solomon was a glorious type of Christ. 
He was a prince of peace, as his name im- 
ports; and, as such, represented Christ, who 
was, emphatically, the prince of peace, be- 
cause he came not to give peace to one na- 
tion, but to impart it to'all men. This peace 
is not so much an immunity from external 
aggression, as that internal "peace of God 
which surpasses all understanding, ''—an en- 
during peace which no external violence can 
disturb, as long as the soul is willing to re- 
tain it. The temple which Solomon built, 
and which, by its magnificence and grandeur, 
rendered Jerusalem the "joy of the whole 
earth," was an expressive figure of that 
Church which Jesus Christ established. This 



The Month of Mary 151 



is truly the "joy of the whole earth," by its 
universal diffusion, by being enriched with all 
the treasures of grace and sanctity ; and, un- 
like the figure, is destined to survive all the 
efforts of the enemies of God's people. The 
throne on which Solomon sat had special ref- 
erence to Christ, who inherited the throne of 
David his father through Mary, whose virtues 
are not inaptly signified by the pure ivory of 
which it was made, and the most pure gold 
with which it was overlaid. 

The Church applies to the Blessed Virgin 
the words of the Canticle of Canticles, ^Thy 
neck is as a tower of ivory which is thus ex- 
plained by St. Bernardine of Sienna: "Vivify- 
ing graces are conveyed from Christ, the 
head, through the Virgin, to the other mem- 
bers of his mystical body." St. Paul express- 
ly declares that we are all members of a mys- 
tical body, of which the head is Christ. As 
among the members of this mystical body, 
the Blessed Virgin is, after Christ, the 
most exalted, so she is well compared 
to the "tower of ivory," to which the neck of 
the spouse in the Canticles is likened; 
especially as it is through her, according to 
the opinion of many holy doctors, that God 



152 The Month of Mary 

has decreed to convey to the members of this 
mystical body, the graces which are necessari- 
ly derived from Christ, who is the head. The 
holy Abbot Eupert says of Mary: ''As a 
tower of ivory, she is beloved by God, and 
terrible to the demon.'' On account of her 
spotless purity, which the shadow of imper- 
fection never sullied, and which is well repre- 
sented by the whiteness of ivory, she pleases 
God. On the same account, as also because 
she is the channel of God's grace to men, she 
is terrible to the devil, the ancient serpent ; 
whose poisonous bite she never experienced, 
and whose head she not only crushed by 
bringing forth the Redeemer, but whom she 
continues to overcome by her wonderful in- 
fluence in the application of the Eedeemer's 
merits to the souls of men. 

The ivory throne of Solomon was overlaid 
with the most pure gold. Gold is taken by 
the holy fathers as the symbol of charity ; for 
as gold is the most precious of the metals, so 
charity is the most precious of the virtues ; and 
as gold is distinguished from the other metals 
by its peculiar brightness, so charity shines 
out conspicuous as the queen of virtues. 
Adopting, then, the mystical interpretation of 



The Month of Mary 153 



the text, Mary resembled the throne of Solo- 
mon, not only by her immaculate purity, rep- 
resented by the ivory, but also in consequence 
of her supereminent charity, represented by 
the glittering gold. As charity is the love of 
God, and as God is loved in proportion as He 
manifests Himself to creatures and imparts 
to them His grace, we can form no conception 
of Mary's perfection in this regard that will 
not fall far short'of the reality. "Mary," says 
Albert the Great, 'Vas a golden temple of 
charity." St.Thomas of Aquin, one of the most 
exact and profound divines that ever wrote, 
says that "as there was nothing in the temple 
that was not covered with gold, so there was 
nothing in Mary that was not replete with sanc- 
tity." Mary, then, was that mystical house, 
which "wisdom built for itself," and which, 
as it was a house prepared not for man but 
for God, was adorned with all the per- 
fection of charity, and thus rendered a suit- 
able abode for Him "who is Charity" itself.^ 
Mary, as the "Towerof Ivory," teaches us that 
we should avoid every imperfection, and much 
more every sin, and exhibits to us the won- 
derful power which God has given to the great- 
est weakness, because united with the most 



1 St. John iv. 16. 



154 The Month of Mary 

perfect innocence. As the ^^House of Gold,'' 
she inculcates to us the necessity of charity, 
without which we cannot hope that our souls 
can become the throne of God, or that we our- 
selves shall be admitted into the temple of His 
glory, where immunity from defilement will 
not entitle us to enter, unless our hearts be 
overlaid with the gold of charity. Our hearts 
must glow with this divine virtue, if we hope 
to take our place with Mary and all the in- 
habitants of the heavenly Jerusalem, who see 
God because they love, and in seeing Him are 
blessed. 

Example, 

St. Philip of Neri was one of the greatest orn- 
a^ments of the Church in the sixteenth centu- 
ry ; and by his wonderful zeal for the promo- 
tion of God's glory in the city of Kome, pro- 
cured for himself the title of the apostle of 
that holy city. His youth was distinguished 
by innocence and piety ; and as he advanced 
in years, his piety increased. Among his other 
virtues his devotion to the Mother of God was 
particularly remarkable: his love for Mary 
was so great, that he had her name almost 
always in his mouth, and incessantly labored 



The Month of Mary 155 



to promote her honor among men. No child 
had ever so tender an affection for his mother 
as Philip had for Mary whom he called his 
^^ove/' his^^joy," his ^^consolation.'' He spoke 
these words with so much feeling and unction, 
that those who heard him were usually much 
affected, and not unfrequently were moved to 
tears. He spent whole nights in prayer; and in 
his addresses to the Holy Virgin, he spoke with 
as much confidence and fervor as if she were act- 
ually present. He often was favored with super- 
natural visions of this celestial queen ; one of 
which, which occurred when he was advanced 
in years, is particularly remarkable. He lay 
dangerously sick, and his physicians had little 
hopes of his recovery. He was heard to cry 
out on a sudden, '^0 most Holy Mother! 
most amiable Mother! O most beautiful 
Mother! most blessed Mother!" The physi- 
cians and some clergymen ran to him, and 
found him elevated somewhat from the bed 
in which he lay, and heard him say, ^^0 my 
dearest Queen, I am not worthy,— I do not 
deserve that thou shouldst come to visit and 
to heal me. What shall I do for thee, if thou 
healest me, for I have never done anything 
good." Amazed at what they saw and heard. 



156 The Month of Mary 

some wept for joy; others trembled with fear. 
The physician asked him what he wished for; 
to whom he replied: *^Have you not seen 
the holy Virgin, who has come to take 
away my ailments?" While he spoke thus 
he came to himself, and as he perceived that 
the room was full of people, he covered his 
head through shame, and began to weep. The 
physicians fearing that this might injure him, 
begged him to desist, and asked to feel his 
pulse: do not require your assistance any 
longer,'^ replied the saint; ''the most holy 
Virgin has been here, and has restored me." 
They found him, in fact, perfectly restored ; 
and, on the following morning, he rose, as 
usual, and applied himself to his accustomed 
occupations, without suffering any incon- 
venience. The holy man said always to those 
who visited him : ''Believe me, there is no more 
powerful means to obtain God's grace, than 
to employ the intercessions of the holy Virgin. 
Say to her often : 'Virgin Mary, Mother of 
God, pray to thy dear Jesus for me.' " 

On another occasion, this great saint ex- 
perienced the efficacy of Mary's intercession in 
a very extraordinary m anner . His new church 
was being built. Philip sent in great hurry 



The Month of Mary 157 



one day for the architect, and ordered him 
to take off the roof from an old building, 
which would have fallen in the preceding 
night, had not the Blessed Virgin sustained 
it. And, in fact, when the workmen came, 
and examined the building, they found that the 
beams which sustained the roof had fallen 
out of their places, and that the whole re- 
mained suspended in the air, without any vis- 
ible support. The saint felt peculiar pleasure 
in visiting the Church of St. Maria Maggiore, 
and he recommended nothing more frequently 
to his disciples, than love and devotion to 
the holy Virgin. He procured for many per- 
sons extraordinary favors through Mary, by 
causing them to recite the prayer, ^Tirgin 
Mary, Mother of God, pray to thy Jesus for 
me." Sometimes he added: ^Tray to thy 
Son Jesus for me a sinner." Often he repeat- 
ed these words, ^Tirgin and Mother," and 
said that they expressed all the greatness and 
dignity of Mary, and had a great efficacy in 
obtaining God's graces. Had we such a ten- 
der, confiding love for Mary, as that with 
which this great saint was animated, how 
many graces would we receive through her 
hands, to whom the Church applies the words: 



158 The Month of Mary 



^^In me is all the grace of the way and of the 
truth; in me is all hope of life and of vir- 
tue/'^ 

Prayer, 

Mary ! I acknowledge thee to be the most 
noble, the most sublime, the most pure, the 
most beautiful, the most holy, and the most 
amiable of all creatures. Ah I would that all 
mortals knew thee, and loved thee, as thou 
dost deserve : but I am consoled when I re- 
flect on the great number of holy souls who 
serve and love thee on earth, and are enam- 
ored with thy goodness and surpassing 
beauty in heaven. Above all, I rejoice, and 
congratulate with thee, that God loves thee 
above all men and angels united. most 
amiable mother, I, although a miserable 
sinner, presume to love thee: but alas, 
my love is too faint; I would wish to 
love thee more tenderly, and this is the favor 
I have to ask of thee. To love thee, is a 
great means of loving God ; since thou dost 
not fail to procure for those who love and 
serve thee, that great grace of loving 
their Creator with their whole heart here be- 
low, that thus they may be worthy to see, 

1 Eccl. xxiv. 25. 



The Month of Mary 159 



love, and enjoy Him in heaven. Mary, ob- 
tain for me a heart inflamed with the love of 
God : and take from me this hardened heart, 
which has hitherto resisted all the attractions 
of His love. Thou art the mother of holy 
love; be thou now my advocate with God, 
that ^'neither death, nor hfe, nor angels, nor 
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, 
nor things to come, nor might, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be 
able to separate me from the love of God, 
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."^ Amen. 

Practice. 

Eecite the acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, 
to-day, in honor of Mary, and make this one 
of the devotions which you will resolve to 
practise in her honor. 

Aspirajtion. 

Mary, by the love thou didst bear to 
Jesus Christ, help me to love him.— St. Brigid. 

1 Rom. Viii. 38, 39. 



160 The Month of Mary 



TVENTY-FIRST DAT 



Ark of the Covenant, Pray for us. 

'*Josue rent his garments and fell flat on the 
ground before the ark of the Lord."— Jos. vii. 
6. 

When the children of Israel were journeying 
through the deserfc, after having been de- 
livered from the bondage of Egypt, God 
commanded them, among other things, to 
make an ark. This was to be the visible em- 
blem of His presence among them ; and from 
the propitiatory, or lid which was suspended 
over the ark, without however closing it up. 
He gave answers to Moses. ^ The ark was 
made of setim wood, and overlaid both in the 
inside and outside with most pure gold. This 
ark was the most holy thing among the Jews. 
It was placed in the tabernacle, within the sanc- 
tuary or ^'holy of holies: "—-it was concealed 
by a veil, not only from the sight of the peo- 
ple, but also from the priests, according to the 
commandment of God ; and it was only on the 

lExod. 2txv. 22. 



The Month of Mary 161 



solemn day of ' 'expiation," that the high 
priest was allowed to enter the sanctuary in 
which it was placed. When the tabernacle 
was set up, and consecrated, the glory of the 
Lord filled it,^ so that not even Moses could 
enter into it. A cloud hung over the 
tabernacle by day, and a fire by night. 
When it removed from the tabernacle, the 
children of Israel went forward; if it hung 
over the tabernacle, they remained in the 
same place. ^ The ark contained a vessel filled 
with the manna, by which the children of 
Israel were miraculously fed for forty years 
in the desert. **When the ark was lifted up, 
Moses said: Arise, Lord, and let thy 
enemies be scattered, and let them that hate 
thee flee from before thy face." ^ 

A pious and learned interpreter of the Holy 
Scriptures (Cornelius 'a Lapide) says: ''The 
ark containing the manna, that is, Christ, is 
the Blessed Virgin, who causes us to over- 
come both men and demons." Mary is then 
called the "ark of the covenant," because she 
was the tabernacle of God with men; 
for not only the glory of the Lord filled 
her, but the Lord of glory himself as- 
sumed human nature of her, and abode for 

1 Exod. xl. 32. 2 Exod. xl. 32, 36« « Numb, x, 85. 



162 The Month of Mary 

nine months in her sacred womb. If, then, 
the Jews were commanded to reverence the 
ark and if God manifested, by so many ex- 
traordinary wonders, how jealous He was 
of the honor of this symbol of His presence 
with His people, how much more are all Chris- 
tians bound to honor and reverence her— 
whose relation to the Deity is infinitely more 
intimate than was that which the Jewish ark 
of the covenant bore to him. Shall not we 
then reverence Mary, as Josue reverenced the 
ark, when he fell down before it. ^ In either 
case, the Majesty of God is the ultimate object 
of our veneration. If we pay peculiar hom- 
age to Mary, this mystical ark of the better 
covenant, it is because God himself has 
honored her; and because He is infinitely 
more jealous of the honor due to her, whom 
he made the mother of his consubstantialson, 
than he was of the honor paid to the an- 
cient ark, which was only a mere symbol of 
His presence. If of every faithful soul, he 
says, ''he who touches thee, touches the apple of 
eye," how much more severely will he pun- 
ish any positive irreverence, or want of becom- 
ing respect towards her, who, alone of all creat- 
ures, bears to Him the endearing and influen- 



^ Jos. vii. 6. 



I'he Month of Mary 163 

tial relation of Mother. The Bethsemites were 
struck dead for irreverently looking at the ark, 
and Oza, for stretching out his hand to sus- 
tain it ; through a momentary f orgetfulness 
of the power of Him who filled it. How much 
more reason have those to fear the death of 
their souls, who treat with indifference, and 
sometimes with positive disrespect, the Holy 
Mother of God ! Ah I we may be assured, that 
were it not for the powerful intercession of 
this most patient Mother, who has learned 
from her Divine Son to pray for those who 
persecute her, God would visit with exemplary 
severity the awful temerity, which trifles 
with what He has made most holy and 
venerable. 

Mary is the '^ark of the covenant," because, 
like that glorious type, she is our protection 
and our defence. When the ark passed over 
the Jordan, the waters were dried up. ^ Can 
we oppose to the torrent of human custom, 
which, as St. Augustin says, hurries down 
the unhappy children of Adam to the infernal 
abyss, anything more powerful than the in- 
tercession of Mary? After the ark was borne 
round the walls of Jericho in solemn proces- 
sion for seven days, these strong bulwarks, 

2Jos, ch.iii. 



164 The Month of Mary 

bj which the enemies of God's people hoped to 
turn away the chastisement God was about 
to inflict on them, fell to the ground. We 
may be assured, that however formidable 
may be the difficulties we have to surmount in 
the attainment of any object connected with 
the promotion of God's glory, we shall over- 
come them, by bearing about with us this 
mystic ark—by looking for assistance to 
Mary. We read in the scripture, that as long 
as the ark remained in the house of Obeded- 
om, God blessed him and his household. ^ Let 
us bring Mary into our hearts, by banishing 
from them whatever may displease her Divine 
Son, and cherishing a tender devotion towards 
her ; by making her, after God, the principal ob- 
ject of our affections ; and we shall find by ex- 
perience, that the faithful servant of this holy 
Virgin will be enabled to say, both in time and 
in eternity : ^'All good things came to me to- 
gether with her, and innumerable riches 
through her hands." ^ 

Example. 

If devotion to the Mother of God is suit- 
able and profitable for all conditions and 
relations of life, it is especially so for youth. 



1 2 Kings vii. 2. 



2 Wisdom vii. 2. 



The Month of Mary 165 



whom it inspires with the greatest aversion 
to vice ; and while it holds up before them the 
model of every virtue, procures for them the 
protection and assistance of this good and 
powerful Virgin Mother. Among many who 
have experienced this, St. Francis Kegis is 
particularly conspicuous. He was born in 
1597, in the diocese of Narbonne in France. 
From his earliest childhood he had been 
taught to entertain a tender devotion to the 
Mother of God. To sustain and exercise this 
feeling of piety, as also to enjoy its benefits on 
a more extensive scale, he eagerly sought to 
be admitted into a confraternity, which had 
for a special object to honor Mary. As soon 
as he attained this wish, he believed himself 
bound to aspire after greater perfection. No 
one showed a more determined resolution to 
regulate his life by the rules of the confrater- 
nity than the youthful Francis. He increased 
his prayers and devotional exercises; he 
approached the sacraments more frequently ; 
and he redoubled his exertions to attain per- 
fection in all his words and actions, in order 
to merit the approbation of God and of his 
Holy Mother. When he afterwards entered 
into the Society of Jesus, his devotion to 



166 The Month of Mary 

Marj received a new impulse. When in 
school he profited by every opportunity, by 
means of exhortation, instruction and pray- 
er, to communicate to others the love of 
Mary, with which his own heart was in- 
flamed. It was, however, in the missions to 
which he heroically devoted himself, and in 
which he spent the last ten years of his life, that 
he manifested in a special manner his devotion 
to the Mother of God, and imparted his own 
feelings to the faithful who heard his instruc- 
tions. He placed all his apostolic undertak- 
ings under the powerful protection of Mary ; 
he ever had her name in his mouth ; and was 
alw^ays zealous for the promotion of her hon- 
or. In all dangers or distress, he fled to her 
for assistance and relief. He recommended him- 
self to her patronage in all his instructions 
and exhortations. His indefatigable zeal to 
gain souls for Jesus, and his fldelity and love 
for Mary, merited for him to behold the Moth- 
er and the Son at his last hour, who came to 
assist him in his flnal combat, and conduct 
his soul to the happiness of heaven. Enrapt- 
ured at the sight, Francis cried out to his 
companion with exultation : ^^I see Jesus and 
Mary, who come to meet me, and bring me to 



The Month of M^ry 167 



heaven ; ah, brother, what a happiness ; how 
contented I die !" Saying this, he expired.—- 
What a happiness, indeed, to have Jesus and 
Mary assist us in our last moments ! but this 
favor will only be granted to those who dur- 
ing Hfe have served them faithfully. 

Prayer. 

holy Virgin, thou hast more claims on 
our veneration than even the ark of the 
covenant had on that of the Jewish people. 
In thy virginal womb was conceived the true 
manna of our souls, Jesus Christ, in thee was 
the covenant of God's mercy to man con- 
summated. Full of holy awe at thy inconceiv- 
able dignity, I cast myself before thee, and 
implore thee, that as God formerly spoke from 
the ark, so he would now speak peace to my 
soul through thee. Obtain for me pardon for 
the innumerable violations of His covenant, 
of which I have been guilty, and the grace to 
be, henceforward, a faithful observer of all its 
holy obligations. And as the leaders of God's 
people were accustomed to consult the ark, in 
all their difficulties, and followed the myster- 
ious cloud^which hung over it ; so do I resolve 
to fly to thee in all my doubts and dangers : 



168 The Month of Mary 

be thou to me a light to guide my steps, and 
conduct me to the true land of promise, the 
Paradise of my God ; where with thee T may 
praise Him for an endless eternity. Amen. 

PrSjCtice. 

Excite within you a great reverence for 
Mary, and avoid everything that would indi- 
cate a want of due respect. Always remember 
that although Mary be a creature, she is in- 
finitely superior to all other creatures. They 
are the servants of God : She Is His Mother, 

AspirBjtion. 

Hail, Daughter of God the Father ! Hail, 
Mother of God the Son ! Hail, Spouse of the 
Holy Ghost ! Hail, Temple of the Most Holy 
Trinity !— Simon Garcia. 



The Month of Mary 169 



T V E N TY-S E C N D DAY 



Gate of Heaven, Pray for us. 

*^This is the gate of the Lord ; the just shall 
enter into it.''— Psalm cxvii. 20. 

Maky is the ^^Gate of heaven," because by 
her God descended to man ; and because by 
her man ascends to God. The Eastern gate 
spoken of by Ezechiel/ and through which 
the Lord the God of Israel passed, is under- 
stood by St. Jerome to have prefigured the 
Blessed Virgin, through whom the Son of 
God entered into this world by being made 
flesh in her sacred womb. *'This," says this 
great doctor of the Church, *^is that Eastern 
gate through which the Sun of Justice, and 
our High Priest, according to the order 
of Melchisedeck, enters and comes out." 
By her it was that God appeared among 
men, and was found in appearance like to 
man. Such was the reverence paid to the 
gate of the temple through which the Lord 

lEzech, xllv. 1. 



170 The Month of Mary 

God of Israel entered,— that is, through 
which the ark, which was a symbol of Him, 
was brought into the temple, that it ever 
after remained closed; lest any one should 
pass through it, and render the way which 
God had sanctified common, as every other 
way through which men pass. With how 
much more reverence should we look up to 
Mary, through whom Jesus Christ came into 
this world ! The Church applies^these words of 
the 86th psalm to the Blessed Virgin: ^The 
Lord loves the gates of Sion above all the 
tabernacles of Jacob." Ah! let us reverence 
and love Mary above all other creatures, how 
high and holy they may be : and let us be con- 
vinced, that we shall always be inadequate to 
express our obhgations to her, for the great 
benefit we have received through her from God. 

Mary is called the ^^Gate of heaven," be- 
cause by^her man ascends to God. In giving us 
Jesus Christ, whose name is the only one 
^^under heaven, given to men whereby we may 
be saved," ^ she has supplied us with the 
mystic ladder on which we may ascend to 
heaven. She is also the *'Gate of heaven," 
because she is most powerful in obtain- 
ing for sinners repentance, and perseverance 

1 Acts ir. 12. 



The Month of Mary 171 



for the just. At the close of life, when we are 
as it were on the threshold of eternity, "then," 
says St. Jerome, ''Mary not only comes to us 
when called, but even spontaneously advanc- 
es to meet us."^ The Church evidently con- 
siders her to be the gate of heaven, or as 
some holy writers express it, the dispensatrix 
of God's graces, on account of her extensive in- 
fluence in their distribution. Hence in all her 
solemn appeals to God, as well in the tremend- 
ous mysteries, in which she offers up the mystic 
lamb that was slain from the beginning of the 
world, as in the praises which, like David, she 
gives seven times each day to God— the Church 
never omits to accompany her own prayers by 
an appeal to Mary, for her intercession. After 
the divine prayer composed by Christ him- 
self, there is no form of supplication which she 
recommends more earnestly, or which is more 
universally practised, than the Angelical Salu- 
tation. In it her children knock daily at this 
gate of heaven, that through it they may re- 
ceive all graces during life, and at the hour of 
death, may enter by it into paradise. ''By 
thee," says St. Augustin, "do the wretched 
obtain mercy— the ungrateful, grace— sin- 
ners, pardon— the weak, great things— the 



2 Hieron, ep. % ad Eustoch. 



172 The Month of Mary 

earthly, heavenly goods— mortals, life— and 
pilgrims, their country." 

We should accompany our reflections on 
Mary's privilege of beingthe ''Gate of heaven,'' 
through which the just shall enter, by an ex- 
amination of ourselves. Are we deserving of 
the character of "just," which can alone en- 
title us to pass through this heavenly gate? 
Like the foolish virgins mentioned in the 
gospel, have we not let the lamp of our just- 
ice, which should have shined before men, grow 
dim, or perhaps become entirely extinguished, 
by our neglect to supply it with the oil of 
good works? It is true, that if at our 
last hour we apply to this most prudent 
Virgin, she will not refuse, lest by sharing with 
us she should expose herself to the danger 
dreaded by the prudent virgins mentioned in 
the gospel. 'Tor," says Hugh of St. Victor, 
"she bears in the person of her Son, an over- 
flowing and exhaustless vessel, from whose oil 
the lamps of all may be lit." Still we should 
fear, lest even Mary should not then interpose 
her prayers for us, if, during life, we have 
habitually neglected to profit by them. We 
know that God himself, in punishment of our 
refusal to accept his invitation to repentance. 



The Month of Mary 173 

has declared that those who treat Him thus 
unworthily shall call on Him, in their distress, 
and that He will not hear them. Mary, then, 
who is ever submissive to the orders of His 
providence, may turn away from us her 
maternal eyes; or, what is more likely, the 
recollection of our past ingratitude, and the 
suggestions of the enemy of our souls, will 
deprive us of all hope of obtaining her inter- 
cession, and prevent us from pronouncing 
that sweet name, which would obtain for us the 
grace of repentance. Confidence in the 
efficacy of her intercession should inspire us 
with hope when we repent; it would be pre- 
sumption to make it the occasion of our con- 
tinuing in guilt. 

Example. 

St. Charles Borromeo had the most lively 
and tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 
Besides reciting daily on his knees, the rosary 
and office of this glorious Queen, he fasted on 
bread and water on the Vigils of her feasts. 
If he happened to be in the street, when the 
bell tolled for the ^^Angelus," he never failed to 
kneel down, even in unfavorable weather. He 
had in his cathedral a chapel and confrater- 



174 The Month of Mary 

nity of the rosary : and established a solemn 
procession on the first Sunday of each month, 
in honor of the Mother of God. He placed 
all his institutions under Her protection, and 
established the custom in his diocese of honor- 
ing the name of Mary, whenever it was heard. 
He caused her image to be placed at the en- 
trance of all parish churches under his juris- 
diction ; to admonish the people that if they 
would enter into heaven, they should implore 
her intercession, whom the Church styles the 
^'Gate of Heaven." 

Prayer. 

most Holy Virgin ! Eve had closed on us 
the gates of heaven by her disobedience ; by 
thy obedience thou hast opened them to us. 
By thee did the Son of God come down from 
heaven ; by thee has the light of this true Sun 
of justice arisen on man. Through thee do 
our prayers ascend to God ; and by thy 
means do His faithful servants enter on their 
eternal rest. Thou art indeed a *^gate of 
heaven," through which we enter our heaven- 
ly country. Pray, then, for me, an exile from 
my true home. I am not worthy to hope for 
heaven, after having so often deserved hell, 



The Month of Mary 175 



through my sins. Thou art my hope and help. 
Obtain for me the grace of conversion, and 
perseverance in good ; that thus I may be of 
the number of those happy just, who by thee 
enter into the kingdom o£ God's glory. Amen. 

PrBjCtice. 

On this day beg of Mary, with peculiar earn- 
estness, to procure for you the grace of a 
happy death. It is a most salutary practice 
of pious Christians to set apart one day in 
each month, in which they make a prepara- 
tion for death. If circumstances prevent you 
from adopting this practice, you can at least 
have no difficulty, when preparing for the sac- 
raments, to make the thoughts of death influ- 
ence you in a particular manner once a month. 
^'Blessed is the man," says the devout A'- 
Kempis, '^that has always death before his 
eyes, and every day disposes himself to die," 

Aspiration. 

Open to us the gate of mercy, Holy Moth- 
er of God !— St. John of Damascus. 



176 The Month of Mary 



TVENTT'THIRD DAY 



Morning Star^ Pray for us, 

^'I am the root and stock of David, the 
bright and morning star/' — Apoc. xxii. 16. 

These words were spoken by our Divine 
Savior to St. John, at the conclusion of that 
series of wonderful visions which were exhibited 
to the beloved disciple, and which are recorded 
by him in the book of the Apocalypse. They 
may be applied to Mary; as we find the same 
expression made use of by the inspired writer 
of the book of Ecclesiasticus, to designate the 
virtue of Simon the high priest: — ^^He shone 
in his days as the morning star in the 
midst of a cloud.'' ^ Christ says, ^^that 
to him who has overcome. He will give 
the morning star."^ Hence, as according to 
St. Paul, Star differeth from star inglory," ^ 
the same epithet may be applied to two 
persons in very different senses. Jesus Christ is 



i Eccl. i. 6. 2 Apoc. ii.28. ^1 Cor. xv. 41. 



The Month of Mary 177 



the root and stock of David— the bright and 
morning star ; because he arose on men who 
were buried in darkness and the shadow of 
death; and because his coming is the 
prelude of that full manifestation of God's 
glory, which will be made to the faithful soul 
in heaven. Mary is called the bright and 
morning star, because she preceded the ris- 
ing of the Sun of Eternal Justice ; because her 
appearance among men was hailed by all the 
sons of God, as the pledge that He had not 
forgotten his ancient mercies, and that he was 
about to give the Eedeemer, who had been so 
long and so anxiously expected. Hence the 
inspired writer of the Canticle of Canticles 
asks : ^^Who is she that cometh forth as the 
morning, rising fair as the moon, bright as 
the sun, terrible as an army set in array 

*'Mary," says St. Thomas of Aquinas, ^^is 
called the star of the sea ; for as those who 
sail on the ocean are directed to the port 
they seek, by observing the stars, so Chris- 
tians are directed to glory by Mary." We 
are, in this world, as mariners on a tempest- 
uous sea. We are steering for the port of 
heaven, and are in danger of striking on 
the hidden rocks with which the world a- 



iCant. vi. 9. 



178 The Month of Mary 

bounds; and which are most to be feared, 
when it presents to us a calm and unruffled 
appearance, or when we approach the term of 
our course. We are exposed, every moment, 
to perish in the abyss of waters over which we 
pass, in which so many of our fellow-creatures 
have been engulphed, and whose treacherous 
surface retains no trace of the wrecks that 
have often drifted on it, but looks as tran- 
quil as if it had never heard the shrieks of 
those who have periled and lost an eternity 
on its faith. **Mary," says St. Bernard, *'is 
that bright star of Jacob, whose ray en- 
lightens the whole world, whose splendor 
shines conspicuous in heaven, and penetrates 
hell. It pervades the earth and warms— not 
the body but the soul, banishing vice and 
maturing virtue. For she is that bright and 
splendid star, elevated above this vast 
and spacious sea, who glitters by her 
merits, and enlightens by her example. If 
you find yourself tossed about by storms 
and tempests in the current of this world, 
turn not away your eyes from the bright- 
ness of this star, unless you wish to be 
overwhelmed by its waves. If the winds of 
temptation arise— if you strike on the rock 



The Month of Mary 179 



of tribulation— look up to this star ; call on 
Mary! If jou are tossed about by the swellings 
of pride or ambition, of envy or detraction- 
look up to this star, call on Mary ! If anger, 
or avarice, or concupiscence, agitate the bark 
of your mind— turn to Mary I When affrighted 
at the enormity of your crimes, or confounded 
at the defilements of your conscience, or terri- 
fied with the dread of the future judgment, 
you feel yourselves about to be involved in 
the whirlpool of despondency, orengulphedin 
the abyss of despair— think on Mary ! In dan- 
gers, in difficulties, and doubts ; think on Mary, 
and invoke her. Let her name never depart 
from your mouth or heart; and that you may 
obtain the benefit of her intercession, forget 
not to imitate the example of her life. In 
following her, you cannot go astray ; in ap- 
pealing to her, you cannot despair; and in 
thinking on her, you cannot wander. While 
she supports you, you cannot fall ; while she 
protects you, you cannot fear ; while she guides 
you, you cannot feel fatigue; and if she be pro- 
pitious, you will arrive in safety." 

The spouse in the Canticles is also described 
to be beautiful as the Moon, and this com- 
parison most aptly represents the Blessed 



180 The Month of Mary 

Virgin. As the moon shines by the light 
which is derived from the sun, and which she 
reflects ; so Mary is beautiful, because she has 
derived from God, the source of all light and 
beauty, an extraordinary participation of His 
divine light. Although the moon of itself is 
an opaque body, yet by reflecting the sun's 
light, it becomes, in some degree, an image of 
his glory ; so Mary, on account of her dignity 
of Mother of God, reflects the divine perfections, 
and presents to man the most perfect image of 
His beauty and holiness that can be found in 
a creature. As the moon, when seen in its 
full glory, obscures the stars, so the glory of 
Mary surpasses and obscures that of all other 
saints. As God made two great lights, the 
sun to rule the day, and the moon to rule the 
night, so, remarks a holy writer, Cardinal 
Hugo, Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice, shines 
out on the just with a glorious lustre, and 
has appointed his holy Mother to be the 
mirror of his perfections for sinners;'' that 
by seeing so much holiness in one of their own 
race, they might have no pretext for contin- 
uing longer in crime. We cannot gaze, with 
the naked eye, on the sun in his meridian 
splendor ; but we can view, without pain, the 



The Month of Mary 181 



pale beauty of the moon. The divine charac- 
ter of Jesus affords us a specious pretext for 
our unwillingness to imitate the bright exam- 
ple he has given us; but when we recollect 
that Mary is a child of Adam like ourselves, 
distinguished only by the plentitude of grace 
which she received, and the supereminent dig- 
nity with which she was invested— we are en- 
couraged and excited to conceive sentiments 
more worthy of the dignity of our nature. 
Let us, then, attend to the advice of the holy 
Pope Innocent III., and if we find ourselves 
*^lying in the darkness of sin, raise our eyes 
to this mystic moon, and call on Mary!'' 

Example. 

In the month of November, 1838, the crew of 
a vessel which had just arrived at Paimpol,in 
France, forty-eight in number, accomplished 
a vow they had made in a most perilous voy- 
age from Newfoundland. A terrific tempest 
had arisen, their sails were torn, and for three 
days they were in continual danger of finding 
a watery grave. The ship at length began to 
fill with water, and all hope of safety seemed 
lost, when the crew, by common consent,turned 
their eyes to the ^^Star of the sea," and called 



182 The Month of Mary 

on Mary. They promised that, if she saved 
them, they would visit in the most suppUant 
manner the church at Paimpol, where there is 
an image of Our Lady much venerated by the 
people. They had scarcely ended their prayer, 
when the weather became more calm, and the 
waves began to subside. Profiting by this 
providential change, they repaired their sails, 
and had a favorable wind till they reached the 
coasts of Bretagne, They landed in safety at 
Knod, towards the decline of day, and their 
first act was to prostrate themselves on the 
ground, and give God thanks for their return. 
Then they intoned the litany of the Blessed 
Virgin, and advanced bare-footed and bare- 
headed, along the banks, and through the 
streets of Paimpol, to the church of the **Bonne 
Nouvelle." The people, attracted in crowds 
by the novelty of the sight, followed them, a- 
mong whom were some who were actuated by a 
stronger and better feeling than mere curi- 
osity. There were parents who went to give 
thanks for the return of their children ; and 
wives to thank Mary for having restored their 
husbands to them. The tears streamed 
down every eye, and this immense multitude 
knelt down before the altar of that powerful 



The Month of Mary 183 



Virgin, who has received from her Son the 
power to command the wind and waves. 

The torches shed a dim light on the recess 
of the sanctuary, where stood the image of 
the Blessed Virgin, whose inclined head and 
extended arms seemed to say to all the un- 
happy, "Come to me; I am your Mother/' 
These pious mariners with the most touching 
expression of sentiment, chanted the Hymn, 
"Ave Maris Stella," in which they were joined 
by the people : 

"Bright Mother of our Maker, hail ! 
Thou Virgin ever blest, 

The ocean's star, by which we sail, 
And gain the port of rest." ^ 

Pmyer. 

Virgin Mother ! thou art indeed a joyful 
"Morning Star;" because thou didst an- 
nounce to us Jesus the Sun of Justice, the 
true light of the world. Thy auspicious 
birth was the aurora of that bright day, 
which brought salvation to the world. 
Through thy light, has the darkness of error 
and vice been dispelled, for thou enlightenest 
our hearts and makest us know Jesus, 
in whom are all treasures of light, and 

1 Le Moifl de Marie populaire, Lille, 1839. 



184 The Month of Mary 

truth and grace. Happy they who follow thy 
guidance; thou wilt most certainly bring 
them to Jesus, the haven of salvation. 
Holy Virgin, be to us light and life, that we 
may avoid the works of darkness and walk in 
the light of faith and innocence ; and thus be 
worthy to see and admire thy dear Son Jesus, 
who dwells in light inaccessible. Amen. 

PrBjCtice. 

Offer up a prayer for the diffusion of the 
Catholic faith. 

Aspiration. 

As the eyes of the handmaid are turned 
towards her mistress, so are my eyes turned 
to thee, Holy Mother of God ! 



The Month of Mary 185 



TWENTY-FOURTH DAT 



Health of theWeak, Pray for us. 

virtue went out from him, and healed 
all."~Luke vi. 19. 

Jesus Christ is our great physician. While 
on earth a virtue went out from him and 
healed all; his power was always displayed 
in relieving the sufferings of the sick and in- 
jftrm ; and while his miracles attest his omnip- 
otence, they display most conspicuously the 
mercy which is His peculiar characteristic. 
Not only did Jesus Christ himself exert his om- 
nipotence for the relief of his suffering creat- 
ures, but he imparted to the apostles the same 
power, and even told them, that those who 
believed in his name would do still greater 
wonders than he himself had performed. So 
great was the effect of this promise, that even 
the shadow of St. Peter, as he passed along, 
healed the sick. In every age the healing power 
of Christ has been experienced by those who 



186 The Month of Mary 

have invoked it in the spirit of faith ; and in 
every age has he been mindful of those who 
served him on earth, and honored their 
memory and name, by the numerous miracles 
which have been wrought in favor of such as 
sought their intercession. Can we then, for a 
moment, suppose that Mary's name will not 
plead powerfully for us, when we suffer from 
sickness, or are alarmed at the approach of 
death, for which, perhaps, we may not be 
prepared. God seems to exert His omnipo- 
tence, in proportion to the merits of those in 
whose name it is invoked ; He will not then 
turn away from the supplication of His holy 
Mother, when she asks of Him for us that 
health and strength which may be, perhaps, 
necessary for our salvation, and agreeable to 
the designs of His ever merciful providence. 

While we invoke Mary as the health of the 
weak, we should not forget, that the infirm- 
ities of the body are trivial and unimport- 
ant, if compared with those of the soul. 
The former are the natural effect of our 
condition, and suppose in us no culpability ; 
but may become the occasion of great merit, 
when patiently endured ; they are the warning 
voices which announce to us the approach of 



The Month of Mury 187 



death, which we cannot hope finally to escape. 
The infirmities of the soul, on the other hand, 
may be said to be the only ones which really 
deserve our solicitude. ^^Our fever," says St. 
Ambrose, ^'is avarice: our fever is lust; our 
fever is luxury ; our fever is ambition, our fever 
is anger." These spiritual maladies are indeed 
most to be apprehended, because, unless they 
be remedied, they bring on the death of the 
soul— that is, they deprive us of God who is its 
life, and expose us to be buried forever in the a- 
byss of hell. It is especially on account of 
Mary's influence in obtaining efficacious rem- 
edies for these spiritual maladies, that the 
Church styles her the "health of the weak." We 
may be satisfied that, much as her compas- 
sionate heart bleeds when she beholds us suffer- 
ing from corporeal infirmity, she feels much 
more when she considers the spiritual weakness 
and infirmity under which we labor, and which 
is to be dreaded in proportion as it is not felt 
by ourselves. Let us, then, apply to this 
source of spiritual health, which God has open- 
ed for us ; let us ask of Mary to obtain for us 
a knowledge of our infirmity and a serious 
application of all our powers to remove it, and 
we shall find by experience the fulfilment of 



188 The Month of Mary 

the words, which the Church applies to her : 
^^He that shall find me, shall find life, and 
shall have salvation from the Lord.''^ 

The solicitude which we manifest for our cor- 
poreal health too often forms a striking con- 
trast with our indifference to the state of our 
souls. A slight sickness fills us with anxiety : 
we deem no precaution too great, no remedy 
too disagreeable, provided we regain our lost 
health. In this we but obey the instinct of 
nature, and the command of God, which im- 
poses on us the obligation of doing all that 
we can to preserve His gifts. But is not our 
soul entitled at least to some share of our 
vigilance and care? Why, then, do many 
remain so unmoved, when conscience tells 
them, that there is no soundness in them, 
that their soul is in reality dead, while it 
has the appearance of life ? Ah, what blind- 
ness, to fear so much a temporal death, and 
not dread that which is eternal ! We should 
imitate the prudence of those who, when they 
labor under many infirmities, apply them- 
selves particularly to the cure of that from 
which they have most to fear, while at the 
same time they do not neglect to prevent the 
others from assuming an alarming character. 

1 Prov. Viii, 35. 



The Month of Mary 189 



We should see what is the spiritual malady 
from which we have most to apprehend; 
whether it be pride, avarice, love of pleasure, 
excessive fondness of company, or ambition : 
and we should apply ourselves to overcome 
it with peculiar attention. We should not 
relax our efforts until we had either entirely 
subdued it, or so far succeeded as to require 
only ordinary attention. To overcome our 
predominate or ruling passion; to deliver 
ourselves from the infirmity, which either has 
already taken, or if neglected, will most cer- 
tainly assume a mortal character, this is 
what we should ask with peculiar earnestness 
from her who is the ^ ^health of the weak." 

Example. 

In the year 1792, when the excesses of im- 
piety in Prance involved the faithful Christian 
in all the dangers of a sanguinary perse- 
cution, M. Detrez, of Lille, received priest's 
orders in a foreign country, and shortly after- 
wards returned in disguise to his native city, 
where he devoted himself to the service of his 
fellow-citizens. For a long time he exercised 
the ministry there in private, although he was 
aware of the danger to which he thus exposed 



190 The Month of Mary 

himself. Like the apostle St. Paul, he feared 
none of these temporal evils, and he looked on 
life as valueless, unless he could preach the gos- 
pel of Jesus Christ, and celebrate the praises 
of Mary, his Virgin Mother. He was at 
length arrested and confined in the infectious 
dungeons ^of Lille. This was, doubtless, a 
provision of Providence which thus prepared 
him for his future office of chaplain of a 
vast prison, by permitting him to experience 
the evils in which he was one day to sympa- 
thize. On being restored to liberty he laid 
the foundation of an Orphan Asylum in the 
village of Los, near Lille. 

In all the rooms of this establishment he 
placed an image of the Blessed Virgin, and 
caused the Orphans to sing the Canticle of the 
^^Magnificat^' every Saturday, in honor of 
their holy Mother. To all those whom he 
directed in the paths of virtue, he earnestly 
recommended this devotion, and was ac- 
customed to say, that he had great confidence 
in all who practised it. He especially recom- 
mended it to those charged with the direction 
of the Magdalene Asylums, which he had in- 
stituted; as also to the community of the 
^'daughters of the Infant Jesus,'' which he es- 



The Month of Mary 191 

tablished for the attendance on the sick, and 
the instruction of the ignorant. On all the fes- 
tivals of the Blessed Virgin, the joy of his heart 
manifested itself in his countenance, and in- 
spired others with zeal for the promotion of 
this devotion . When made chaplain of the pris- 
on of Los,— which was formerly an abbey found- 
ed by St. Bernard, M. Detrez incessantly recom- 
mended his dear convicts, as he used to call 
them, to the intercession of this devout servant 
of Mary; and was the efficacious instrument of 
the conversion of many sinners, by making 
them recite the prayer, '^Remember, most 
pious Virgin, "etc. 

In the year 1832, he was attacked by a 
mortal malady while in the monastery of 
Esquermes, to the restoration of which he had 
mainly contributed. He was immediately 
removed to the Orphan Asylum, which he had 
founded, and which was his usual residence, 
and had the consolation of giving up his soul 
to God in the village of Los, which is conse- 
crated to the Blessed Virgin. His remains 
were interred in the church of the Blessed Vir- 
gin, opposite the image of Our Lady of Grace, 
before which he was wont, every Saturday, to 
offer up the holy sacrifice of the Mass, for the 
happiness of his country. 



192 The Month of Mary 
Prayer. 

In all the infirmities of the body, and all 
the maladies of the soul, be thou, Marj ! 
my refuge and my relief. Numberless are the 
sick who through thee have recovered health. 
Belying on thy power and goodness, I fly to 
thee, and implore thee to heal my infirmities, 
and obtain for me perfect health of body and 
of soul ; that I may be the better able to serve 
thee and thy divine Son. At all times thou 
hast been the help and consolation of the in- 
firm. Thou dost lighten their sufferings, and 
dost obtain for them health, when it is con- 
ducive to their salvation : thou dost assist 
them to make a happy death. Assist me, 
then, most amiable Mother ; obtain for me 
a release from all sufferings, or patience to 
endure them in the spirit of resignation to 
God's holy will, that thus all my trials may 
tend to purify my soul, and detach it from 
all earthly ties. Amen. 

Practice. 

Visit some sick person, in honor of Mary. 



The Month of Mary 193 
Aspiration. 

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of 
Eve! 



T W E N TY-P I F T H DAY 

Refuge of Sinners^ Pray for us. 

^^Thou art my refuge/'— Ps. xxx. 4. 

In the Old Law, God appointed cities of ref- 
uge, to which such of the Jews, as through in- 
advertence should have killed a man, might flee 
from the indignation of his relatives; who 
otherwise might listen more to the voice of 
passion than to the dictates of justice, and 
inflict on him a greater punishment than his 
crime deserved. The judges of the city, in 
which the homicide had taken refuge, having 
examined into the matter, were, either to de- 
liver him up to the relatives of the deceased, 



194 The Month of Mary 

should they find that the murder was the ef- 
fect of deliberate malice, or, if otherwise, pre- 
serve him from their blind fury. Mary has 
been always considered the refuge of sinners. 
St.Irenaeus says, that she is the ^'advocate of 
Eve,"— that is, that she,the Mother of God, is 
an intercessor with her Divine Son, for the 
children of the guilty mother of mankind. 
Hence St. John of Damascus, speaking in the 
person of the Blessed Virgin, says : ^'I am a 
city of refuge for all who flee to me.'^ What 
a consolation for us poor sinners, to know 
that we have this powerful advocate to plead 
for us ; that this city of God, of which such 
glorious things are said, is ever open to receive 
us, and protect us within its precincts, from 
the just anger of God ! ^^"\Ve praise her humil- 
ity," says St. Bernard, "we admire her virgin- 
ity ; but her mercy is sweeter to the unfor-tu- 
nate ; we cling more tenderly to her mercy ; we 
remember it more frequently ; we invoke it 
more unceasingly." 

We read in history, that a noble lady re- 
ceived under her protection an unfortunate 
man, who declared himself to be guilty of 
homicide, through the sudden impulse of 
passion. What was her horror on discover- 



The Month of Mary 195 



ing that she sheltered the murderer of her own 
son ! This did not, however, make her forget 
her promise, or prevent her from pitying 
the misfortune of him who had inflicted 
so severe a wound on her heart. Alas! 
how can we read this affecting instance of 
magnanimity, and not think on Mary, the ref- 
uge of sinners ! We have slain her beloved 
Son ; because it was our sins that crucified 
him, and not the cruelty or malice of the 
Jews. We have done this— -not under the 
sudden and maddening influence of passion, 
but coolly and deliberately, with a full knowl- 
edge of the act we did, of its heinousness in 
the sight of God, and of the awful conse- 
quences in which it involved us. And we have 
done this, not once, or twice, or thrice, but 
numberless times ; for as often as we have of- 
fended God by mortal sin, so often have we 
*'crucifled theSonof God, and make a mockery 
of him.'' ^ And yet, notwithstanding our ac- 
customed guilt, Mary stretches forth her 
hands to receive us, and shelter us from 
the wrath we so justly deserve. She is 
that affectionate mother of Thecuah, who 
appeared before David to implore his 
mercy for her unhappy child, who had 



1 Heb. vi. 6. 



196 The Month of Mary 



slain his brother, and whose punishment 
would but add grief to her grief, and de- 
prive her of her only surviving comfort.^ 
Mary, indeed, cannot now feel grief ; but her 
charity for souls, redeemed by the blood of 
her Divine Son, is so great, that, she asks for 
each one who flees to her for refuge, with all 
the earnestness of a mother pleading 
for her only child. *'Go," says St. Bernard, 
*'to the Mother of mercy, and show her the 
wounds sin has afflicted on thee, and she will 
powerfully intercede for thee. The Son will 
certainly listen to his Mother.'' *^By her,'' 
says St.Chrysostom, ^Ve obtain the pardon 
of our sins." 

It is impossible for us to conceive the extent 
of Mary's merciful disposition towards us. The 
saints of ancient, as well as of modern, times 
have celebrated her clemency. '^Mary," says 
St. Leo, ^^is so endued with feelings of com- 
passion, that she not only deserves to be called 
merciful, but even mercy itself." "Mary," 
says St. Gregory the Great, "by how much she 
is higher and holier than we are, is more 
clement and compassionate to converted sin- 
ners." "0 Virgin," cries out St. Bernard, 
"the judge and the culprit are both thy chil- 



12 Kings xiv. 



The Month of Mary 197 



dren; thou canst not suffer any discord be- 
tween them.'' In a word, the history of the 
Church, as well as the writings of the great 
men who have in every age illustrated it, 
attest the wonderful influence of Mary's inter- 
cession on behalf of poor sinners. Those who 
have returned to God after having wearied 
themselves in the ways of iniquity, have 
found by experience how efficacious was their 
confidence in Mary's mercy, and how much 
their hopes of pardon were strengthened, 
when they looked up to this refuge of sinners. 
They felt that God could not reject the pray- 
ers of one so holy and so merciful, even when 
offered up for persons so unworthy as they 
knew themselves to be. We must, however, 
guard against a most dangerous illusion. It 
would not be confidence in Mary, but the most 
flagrant abuse of her goodness, to make it a 
motive for deferring our conversion. Mary is, 
indeed, the refuge of sinners, but it is of those 
who are resolved to fly to her, by renouncing 
sin and doing penance for it. To entertain 
other sentiments,— to suppose that we could 
please her, while we displease God, or are not 
seriously resolved to serve Him, would be pre- 
sumption, the more dangerous, as it would 



198 The Month of Mary 

seem to reckon on some extraordinary in- 
stances of her wonderful influence in the con- 
version of dying sinners, which are narrated 
in well-attested histories. God, in His inscrut- 
able counsels, sometimes works a miracle of 
mercy, as in the case of the dying thief ; but 
this is not the ordinary course of His prov- 
idence. Mary has sometimes obtained the 
grace of perfect conversion for sinners, to all 
human appearance, the most unworthy of it. 
These instances are, however, exceptions to 
the general ways of providence; and are 
afforded us by God, to repel despair, and not 
to encourage presumption. 

Example. 

Whoever has had the grievous misfortune 
to offend God, cannot do better than fly to 
Mary, in a spirit of penance, to obtain, 
through her, reconciliation with God. Among 
the innumerable examples of this truth, which 
the annals of the Church record, that of St. 
Mary, of Egypt, is particularly remarkable. 
This celebrated penitent was born in Egypt 
in the fourth century, and was converted 
from a sinful course of life in a very remarka- 
ble manner. She devoted the remainder of her 



The Month of Mary 199 



days to the practice of the most austere pen- 
ance, as she related in the following manner to 
the Abbot Zosimus, who met her by chance in 
the desert. 

In the twelfth year of her age, contrary to 
the will of her parents, she came to Alexandria, 
where she spent seventeen years in the hab- 
itual commission of every base and degrading 
crime. She one day saw crowds embarking 
for Jerusalem, to celebrate the festival of the 
exaltation of the Holy Cross; she accom- 
panied them, and during the journey contin- 
ued her irregularities. On arriving at Jer- 
usalem, she mingled with the crowd that 
flocked to the church where the Holy Cross 
was to be publicly exposed ; when she arrived 
at the porch, she attempted to enter with 
the rest, but felt herself restrained by an 
irresistible power. This happened three or 
four times. She was much moved; and not 
doubting but that her sinfulness was 
the cause why she was not permitted 
to enter the church, she burst into 
tears. While she lingered about the church- 
door, sighing and weeping, and beating her 
breast in a spirit of compunction, she looked 
up to a picture of the Mother of God, painted 



200 The Month of Mary 

on the wall. The sight encouraged her, and 
she addressed the Refuge of sinners, in these 
words : "Holy Virgin, Mother of God, I know 
that the sins in which I live render me un- 
worthy to look up to thee. Thou art a pure 
and spotless Virgin. Thou who art so pure 
and holy must have a horror for a soul, so 
immersed in guilt as mine is. However, I 
have always heard that the Savior, whom 
thou hadst the happiness to bear in thy vir- 
ginal womb, came into this world to call sin- 
ners to penance. I implore thee to assist me 
in my distress. Permit me fco enter the 
church, Queen of Heaven ! Grant that, al- 
though unworthy, T may be allowed to enter, 
that I may not be deprived of the happiness 
of seeing that precious cross, on which thy 
son poured forth all His blood : I promise thee, 
in the name of the same Redeemer, never more 
to relapse into my heinous offences. As soon 
as I shall have seen the cross, I will abandon 
all, and go wheresoever thou, Holy Virgin, 
mj advocate and intercessor, wilt tell me." 

Having finished this prayer, she felt within 
herself great confidence. She made another 
effort to enter the church, and did not exper- 
ience the least difficulty. She reverenced the 



The Month of Mary 201 



holy cross, cast herself on her knees, and 
amidst abundance of tears, kissed the ground 
of the holy places ; being deeply touched with 
the thought of God's mercy and goodness in 
receiving sinners, whenever they return to 
Him in a spirit of penance. Having satisfied her 
devotion, she returned to the image of the 
holy Virgin, and kneeling down before it, re- 
turned thanks for the grace she had ob- 
tained through her, and besought her direction 
in her design of doing penance and reform- 
ing her life. While she thus poured out her 
soul before the image of Mary, she heard a 
voice, as if from a distance, saying: "If 
you will pass the Jordan, you shall find 
rest." She immediately arose, and turning 
her weeping eyes to the picture, said : "Virgin 
of Virgins, through whom salvation has been 
brought to man, do not abandon me : I be- 
seech thee grant me this favor." She im- 
mediately hurried to pass the Jordan, and 
buried herself in the wildest part of the desert, 
where she spent forty-seven years, in the 
practice of the most severe austerities. During 
many years, she was exposed to the most 
violent temptations from the infernal enemy 
of her soul, but always was assisted and sus- 



202 The Month of Mary 

tained bjMary. '^In all my combats,"— said 
she herself to the Abbot Zosimus— "I raised my 
heart to that immaculate Virgin, who had 
been so merciful to me ; I begged her to assist 
me in my penance and solitude, and she has 
never forsaken me. She has been my protec- 
tress in allmy^diflSculties." The holy penitent 
at length obtained, through the intercession 
of Mary, the grace to receive from the above- 
named Abbot Zosimus, the last sacraments 
at her death, and thus passed from the desert 
which had been the witness of her extraordin- 
ary austerities, to that paradise, which God 
has prepared— not for those who imagine that 
they are rich in virtue and stand in need of 
nothing— but for the publicans and sinners 
who return to Him by a sincere repentance. 

Prayer. 

Mother of Mercy ! thou dost not repel any 
one who flies to thee for refuge. The greatest 
sinners are received by thee, when, in the 
spirit of penance, and with a contrite and 
humble heart, they fly to thee for help. Thou 
dost interpose between them and between 
Jesus, thy divine Son, our Lord and Judge: 
Thou dost shield them from the inflictions of his 



The Month of Mary 203 



severe justice: Thou dost defend them a- 
gainst all the attacks of the infernal enemy : 
Thou expellest from their souls unbelief and 
perplexity, and dost infuse into their hearts 
the vivifying balm of hope. Sacred Eef- 
uge of Sinners! how many sinners hast 
thou rescued from the power of hell; how 
many hast thou brought over to penance and 
change of life ! Compassionate me also : to 
thee do I cry, a poor, banished child of Eve. 
Obtain for me compunction for my sins, and 
the grace never more to commit them. Eec- 
oncile me with thy divine Son; and present 
me to him in the hour of my death. Amen. 

Practice, 

Recommend to the heart of Mary some one 
of your friends, whom you know to be living 
in the habit of mortal sin, or in the neglect of 
the positive duties of religion. 

Aspiration. 

Let those be silent in thy praise, Sacred 
Refuge of Sinners, who have not experienced 
thy mercy !— St. Bernard. 



204 The Month of Mary 



TVENTT-SIXTH DAT 



Comfort of the Afflicted^ Help of 
Christians^ Pray for us. 

'^Give me my people for whom I request.'^— 
Esther vii. 3. 

We read in the book of Esther that this 
holy woman, who, amidst the splendor of a 
most magnificent court, retained the faith 
and piety which had distinguished her before 
her elevation to the throne, was the occasion 
of saving her people from utter extirpation. 
The crafty Aman, instigated by malicious 
envy, had obtained from king Assuerus an 
order, whereby all the Jews throughout his 
vast dominions were to be massacred on an 
appointed day. Mardochai, the uncle of 
Queen Esther, imparted the sad intelligence 
to this princess, who, although not included 
in it, failed not to grieve at the approaching 
destruction of her people. Agreeable to the 
advice of her uncle, she resolved to appear be- 



The Month of Mary 205 



fore the king, (although at the risk of incur- 
ring his displeasure), and to petition him 
on behalf of her afllicted people. Knowing, 
however, that God alone could cause her to 
succeed in her perilous undertaking, she 
resolved to prepare herself by fasting and 
prayer, in which she ordered all the Jews that 
dwelt in the royal city to join her. After a 
most rigorous fast of three days and three 
nights, she ventured to approach the 
king, and petition for her people. He grant- 
ed her request; and the machinations of 
the enemies of God's people became the 
occasion of their triumph, and elevation 
throughout the empire. How admirably does 
not Esther represent Mary, the Queen of 
heaven, who petitions God for her people— 
her fellow-creatures here below, against whom 
a decree, infinitely more just than that of 
Assuerus for the extirpation of the Jews, has 
been sent forth for the punishment of their re- 
bellion against the Divine Majesty ! 

The supereminent greatness and holiness of 
Mary are calculated to impress us with most 
profound respect and admiration. All the 
virtues which she possessed attract us by 
their excellence. But the mercy of Mary— the 



206 The Month of Mary 

sympathy which she has with us in our suffer- 
ings — and the inconceivable desire she has to 
assist us in all our difficulties, are titles to our 
gratitude and love, which should call forth the 
warmest expression of these feelings. Truly 
may we apply to her the praise given to the 
brave woman mentioned in the Scripture: 
^*The law of clemency is in her mouth." ^ Al- 
though raised infinitely above us by a dignity 
which the highest of the angelic host views 
with awe, still she does not forget those from 
among whom she has been taken, and who 
are exposed to the malice of that murderer 
from the beginning, who is more crafty and 
more cruel than was Aman, the Assyrian. 
*^Dost thou, blessed Virgin," says St. Peter 
Damian to her—- ^^dost thou therefore forget 
our lowliness, because thou art so highly ex- 
alted?— No; such mercy as thine could not 
forget such misery as ours. ' ' What a consola- 
tion to reflect, that we have in the court of 
the heavenly king so powerful and so merciful 
an advocate, who is ever ready to plead our 
cause. If the supplication of Moses, on be- 
half of his unworthy people, were so powerful 
with God, as to cause him to order this 
chosen servant not to pray for them, lest He 



1 Prov. xxxi. 



The Month of Mary 207 

should be induced to relent and not execute 
the decree which His justice called for; how 
much more powerfully will not Mary plead 
for us? May we not suppose that God will 
say to her, as He said to Moses : **Let me a- 
lone, that my wrath may be kindled against 
them, and that I may destroy them."^ The 
charity of Mary in heaven is certainly not in- 
ferior to that of Moses on earth ; and she, like 
him, will offer a holy violence to God, by the 
earnestness and constancy of her prayer. 
Who will despair, when protected by so 
powerful an advocate ? 

An unlimited confidence in the intercession 
of Mary, and a prompt appeal to her in all 
our necessities and dangers, should be the re- 
sult of the consideration of her influence and 
compassion. When we address God Almighty, 
we are overwhelmed with confusion at the 
contemplation of his infinite Majesty, and the 
remembrance of the innumerable offences we 
have committed against Him. * ^Christ," says 
St. Bernard, ^^could suffice; for, indeed, all 
our sufficiency is from Him;— but we have 
need of an intercessor with Christ, nor is there 
any one more influential than Mary.''— And 
again : *Tou were afraid to appear before the 



1 Exodus xxxii. 10. 



208 The Month of Mary 

Father, and, terrified at the sound of his voice, 
you concealed yourself behind the trees : ^ He 
gave you Jesus as a Mediator. What cannot 
such a Son obtain from such a Father ? He wi 11, 
indeed, be heard for his reverence ; for the Fath- 
er loveth the Son. But perhaps in Him also you 
fear the divine Majesty; because although He 
became man He remains God. Do you wish 
for an advocate with Him? Have recourse to 
Mary. Mary is a pure human creature, not 
only pure from all contamination, but also 
pure by the singular excellence of her nature. 
I do not hesitate to say, that she also 
will be heard for her reverence. The Son 
will listen to the Mother, and the Father to 
the Son. My dear children," continues this 
holy doctor and most tender lover of Mary, 
^^she is the ladder, by which sinners may as- 
cend to heaven ; she is my greatest hope, and 
the whole ground of my hope. For can the Son 
repulse her, or be himself repulsed? will he 
refuse to hear, or not be himself heard?"— 
Who can read these words of this glorious 
Saint, and not feel his confidence in Mary's 
protection^wonderfuUy strengthened ; and not 
feel, that if the pious Monica obtained the 

1 An allusion to Adam in Paradise, when he sought to 
conceal himself from God. 



The Month of Mary 209 

conversion of Augustin by her prayers, much 
more will Mary obtain God's grace for us, who 
are her children, and for whose eternal sal- 
vation she feels much more zeal, than ever 
Monica did for that of her beloved child ? 

Example. 

The famous victory which the Christians 
gained, in 1571, over the Turks, near Lepanto, 
in the Ionian Sea, will forever be a monument 
of Mary's title to the appellation of ^^Help of 
Christians." During more than a century be- 
fore that time, the Turks caused the greatest 
anxiety and apprehension among the Chris- 
tians. They gained victory after victory. 
God permitted this, to punish and humble the 
Christians, and by this humiliation to awak- 
en their faith ; as also to manifest His glory 
and power by honoring Mary through the 
wonders he was to work for her servants. 

The Turkish Sultan, Selim, the son and 
successor of Soliman, had taken the isle of 
Cyprus from the Venetians ; and, elated with 
his success, thought of nothing less than of 
subjecting all the Christian kingdoms to 
his sway. At that time the chair of St. 
Peter at Eome was filled by St. Pius V., 



210 The Month of Mary 

whose zeal for the faith, and confidence in the 
intercession of Marj, were unlimited. The 
Pope was greatly alarmed at the danger 
to which Christendom was exposed ; but with 
undoubting confidence in Mary, he united 
with the Venetians and Spaniards, to repel the 
common enemy. There was, indeed, no pro- 
portion between the Turkish and Christian 
fleets; and in all human appearance, it must 
have seemed foolish to contend with such a 
superior enemy ; but the holy Pope did not 
for a moment doubt but that Mary would ob- 
tain victory for the Christians. He accord- 
ingly ordered general fast days, and special- 
ly exhorted all Christians to flee to Mary for 
protection. All Europe was roused by the 
approaching danger, and joined in this de- 
votion ; and everywhere processions and other 
devotional practices in honor of the Mother of 
God were established. As Pius sent his 
blessing to John of Austria, the Admiral of 
the Christian fleet, he gave him the strongest 
assurance that he would gain the battle. He 
ordered him, at the same time, to dismiss all 
disorderly soldiers, or such as thirsted after 
plunder; lest God should withdraw his pro- 
tection from the cause, in consequence o 



The Month of Mary 211 

such sinners. Like another Moses, Pius 
raised his hands incessantly to heaven, and 
sought, through Mary, the Mother of mercy, 
the blessing of God on the Christian arms. 
The battle took place on the 7th of October, 
1571, at Lepanto. Both sides engaged with 
the greatest fury; and, for a few moments, the 
Christians seemed to be on the point of yield- 
ing to the superior power of the infidels. 
Mary, however, had heard the prayers of her 
children, and the God of armies decided the 
cause in favor of the Christians. The Turks 
were completely beaten; they lost upwards of 
thirty thousand men, and their formidable 
fleet was forever destroyed. The holy Pope 
announced the victory at the very moment in 
which it was gained. He was then engaged in 
conference with the cardinals, when suddenly 
stopping the discourse, he raised his eyes to 
heaven, and said to them : ^^Enough of busi- 
ness today; at present we have nothing 
better to do than to thank God for the victory 
he has given to the Christian arms." The 
sequel showed that at the very moment in 
which Pius spoke these words, the battle was 
gained at Lepanto; and the holy Pope was 
fully convinced that this victory was to be 



212 The Month of Mary 

ascribed to the intercession of the Mother of 
God. To leave a perpetual memorial of this 
great benefit, he inserted in her litany the 
words, '^Help of Christians, pray for us," and 
instituted a special festival for the same pur- 
pose. Gregory XIII. ordered it to be celebrated 
throughout the Church, on the first Sunday 
of October, which is therefore called ^'Eosary 
Sunday.'' In like manner, in the year 1683, 
the Turks were completely defeated by the 
Emperor Leopold I., before Vienna, which they 
had besieged with an army of 216,000 men, 
and a large park of artillery. They had laid 
the whole country waste ; had slain or enslaved 
thousands of Christians, and threatened the 
whole Empire with ruin. Meanwhile, the pro- 
tection of Mary was fervently invoked 
throughout all the provinces ; public proces- 
sions and supplications were made in her hon- 
or. When the danger seemed most alarming, 
they received help from heaven. On the 
12th of September, the Turks were 
attacked by the Christian army, which, 
although vastly inferior in numbers, succeed- 
ed in giving a complete overthrow to the 
enemies of the faith. For the perpetual 
commemoration of this signal benefit, 



The Month of Mary 213 

Innocent XI. established the festival of the 
Holy Name of Mary, which he ordered to be 
kept on the Sunday immediately following the 
8bh of September, the solemnity of her birth, 
It is acknowledged by all, that these two 
victories, especially that of Lepanto, were the 
means of preserving Europe from the evils of 
a Mahommedan invasion. Mary is, then, the 
true Esther, by whose powerful intercession 
the evils, which the enemies of God's people 
designed for them, have been turned on them- 
selves. 

Prayer. 

most amiable Virgin Mary! never did 
any one appeal to thee in vain. In whatever 
distress or difficulty I may find myself, 
I am certain to obtain help and relief through 
thee. Thou art the ''consolation of the 
afflicted;'' thou driest up the tears of those 
who, in this land of exile, raise their eyes to 
thee. Thou art the help of Christians. As 
Mother of Christ, thou dost consider thyself 
to be the protectress and advocate of all 
Christians. amiable and powerful Mother ! 
graciously assist us, and rescue us from all 
misery and affliction. Help thy Christian 



214 The Month of Mary 

people, who, on all sides, are so severely 
pressed. Protect the Church of thy Son, that 
her enemies may not prevail over her. Defend 
the faithful, and especially those who are in 
danger of losing the precious treasure of 
faith. Humble their enemies, confound their 
persecutors, and rule over those who invoke 
thy name, and put their trust in thee. Show 
thyself to be our Mother. Pray for me, that 
I may lead a Christian life, that thereby I 
may deserve to enjoy eternal happiness with 
God. Amen. 

Practice. 

Give some alms today in honor of Mary. 
Be thus the comforter of the afflicted, and the 
help of Christians. 

Aspiration. 

If thou dost abandon us, what will befall 
us, life of Christians !— St. Germanus. 



The Month of Mary 215 



TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY 



Queen of Angels^ Pray for us. 

'^Rulethou over us; and thy son."— Jud. 
viii. 22. 

Many are the titles, by which Mary is the 
queen of angels. She is the Mother of Christ, 
who created the angels, ^^for in Him," says St. 
Paul, ^ Vere all things created in heaven and 
on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones 
or dominations, or principalities or powers : all 
things were created by Him and in Him."^ 
She is, therefore, their Queen, according to 
the observation of St. John of Damascus. 
**Mary," says he, "was made the queen of all 
creatures, because she was made the 
Mother of the Creator." She is their queen, 
because, as she is elevated far above them in 
dignity and glory, they look up to her with 
the reverence, which such superiority is so well 
calculated to excite, and had she no other ti- 
tle to their homage, they would, on the sole 



1 Colos. i. 6. 



216 The Month of Mary 

principle of her superior greatness and glory, 
say : "Eulethou over us ; and thy son." She is, 
in fine, their queen, because her son Jesus Christ 
is the restorer not only of earth but heaven ; 
according to the decree of God, who has willed 
'^to re-establish all things in Christ, whether 
in heaven or on earth." By Christ's having 
redeemed man, those seats of glory, which 
were vacated by the disobedience of the fallen 
angels, are filled up ; and the angels— whose 
charity is great in proportion as they ap- 
proach God, who is charity itself— rejoice at the 
elevation of every child of Adam, who, through 
His redeeming merits, is raised to the glory 
which their unfaithful companions forfeited. 
Mary is, then, the queen of angels. 

The contemplation of Mary forms a portion 
of the beatitude of the angels. As they 
admire God's works in proportion to their ex- 
cellence, so they find in Mary— the most ex- 
cellent of God's creatures— more subject for 
admiration, than in the contemplation of 
the immense orbs of light with which the fiat 
of the Creator has studded the heavens, 
or all the created glory of that Paradise, 
which St. John describes in the Apocalypse, 
under such glowing imagery. They find more 



The Month of Mary 217 



subject for the exercise of their sublime intel- 
ligence, in contemplating her instrumentality 
in the mystery of the incarnation, and in the 
other mysteries of her life, than they do in 
considering all the other wonders of God's 
providence on his creatures. If the faithful 
servants of Mary on earth have felt their 
hearts inflamed by the consideration of the 
amiableness and beauty of the celestial queen; 
what must be the feelings of those blessed 
spirits, who see her, as she is, and whose 
superior nature renders them more capable of 
appreciating the wonders of God's grace in 
her than we can possibly be. It is not, then, 
without reason, that the Church says that the 
angels of God rejoiced at the assumption of 
this heavenly queen. ^'Mary is assumed into 
heaven : the angels rejoice." 

Mary's title as "Queen of angels" should re- 
mind us, that we also are destined to enjoy 
the society of angels, and with them admire 
the wonders of God's power in this heavenly 
queen. We should remember that God has 
deputed some of these heavenly spirits to be 
the guardians of men on earth, according to 
that of the Psalmist : "He has given his an- 
gels charge of thee, lest, perhaps, thou dash 



218 The Month of Mary 

thj foot against a stone;" as also the words 
of Christ : ''Their angels in heaven always see 
the face of my father who is in heaven.'' ^ Each 
one has one of these guardian spirits,to pro- 
tect him in dangers and assist him in diffi- 
culties. When we invoke Mary as Queen of 
angels, the thought of our future companion- 
ship with them for eternity should make us en- 
deavor to lead lives of angelic innocence. Grat- 
itude for the care they take of us, and for the de- 
sire they have for our salvation, should pro- 
duce in our souls a desire of attending to all the 
holy inspirations, which they communicate to 
our souls ; that thus we may prove ourselves 
faithful servants of the queen of angels, and 
prepare for the high destiny, that awaits us, 
of enjoying God in their society for an endless 
eternity. 

Example. 

On this day the Church honors the memory 
of St. Maria Magdalene de Pazzi, who may be 
proposed as a model of devotion to the Bless- 
ed Virgin. The royal prophet says, that 
God is wonderful in all his Saints ; but he gave 
this holy virgin extraordinary proofs of his 
love, power, and wisdom. While yet a child. 



^ Matt, xviii. 10. 



The Month of Mary 219 



she was the special object of His favor ; and 
in her earliest years she manifested so tender 
a love for God, and such zeal for the exercise 
of all virtue, that she seemed more like an an- 
gel than a mortal creature. She especially 
watched over the purity of her heart, and la- 
bored to serve God with all fidelity and per- 
fection. Jesus and Mary were the objects 
which engrossed her thoughts. She had her 
eyes ever turned to Mary, either to obtain 
through her the grace of God, or to learn from 
her example how to correspond with it, and 
thus, in all things, obey Jesus, In all her 
practices of devotion, she had special reverence 
to the Mother of God. When she meditated 
on the mysteries of the Redeemer,— on his life 
on earth, or on his glory in heaven,— she al- 
ways thought on the part that Mary had in 
these mysteries, and how extensively she had 
co-operated in their accomplishment. On ac- 
count of this relation, the affections of love, 
respect, gratitude, and confidence, which rose 
in her heart towards Jesus, were at the same 
time directed to Mary, who had brought him 
forth, and given him up for the world's re- 
demption. Magdalene entered the Car- 
melite order at Florence; from the moment 



220 The Month of Mary 

that she solemnly renounced the world, she 
redoubled her fervor; dedicated herself un- 
reservedly to the love of God ; and labored in- 
cessantly to honor his holy Mother. The 
Queen of angels often appeared to her, to en- 
courage and confirm her in piety. God had 
permitted her to suffer, for many years, the 
most violent temptations; but, in all her 
trials, she failed not to recur to Mary, and ob- 
tained, through her, strength and courage to 
overcome all the attacks of the enemy of her 
soul. She commended all her companions to 
the powerful protection of this heavenly 
Queen, who, in a wonderful manner, made her 
conscious with how motherly a care she 
watched over those w^ho sought her protec- 
tion. Her devotion to this Queen of Angels 
was particularly conspicuous on the days 
dedicated to her memory, for the celebration 
of which she prepared herself with great care, 
and which she spent in more than ordinary at- 
tention to prayer. These were for her, indeed, 
real festivals. She was entirely absorbed in 
the contemplation of the mysteries these days 
commemorated ; and so acceptable to God 
did this render her, that on these occasions 
she not unfrequently received extraordinary 



The Month of Mary 221 



favors, in which she beheld the glory of Mary 
exhibited in the clearest light. These super- 
natural graces made her advance daily in her 
love of God, and in reverence for the Queen of 
angels. Magdalene had the most tender de- 
votion to the cross : she desired nothing more 
than to suffer with her suffering Savior, and 
thus be made conformable to Him. Hence 
her constant maxim was: "Let me suffer, 
and not die.''— While most people fly the cross, 
and even the good look forward with delight 
to the termination of their sufferings, Mag- 
dalene had so great a love for the cross, that 
she wished for nothing more that to be united 
with Jesus, the suffering spouse of her soul ; 
and hence asked God to prolong her life, that 
she might be enabled to suffer more and 
greater things for His sake. "Let me suffer, 
and not die." The example of the constancy 
with which the Mother of sorrows beheld the 
death of her divine Son encouraged and sus- 
tained her. God heard the prayers of this 
angelic creature, and permitted her to ex- 
perience the severest and most afflicting trials. 
He even deprived her of those interior conso- 
lations, which He seldom refuses to his ser- 
vants in their last hours. Magdalene bore 



222 The Month of Mary 

this affliction with patience, and even gloried 
in tribulation. Trusting in the protection of 
Mary, she gave back her pure soul to God in 
the year 1607. 

Prayer. 

Heavenly Queen, thou dost excel the 
highest of the angelic host in merit, in grace, 
and in holiness. All heavenly spirits bow 
down before thee, and praise and glorify thee 
—as the most perfect of God's creatures— as 
the most special object of his complacency— 
that most blessed among women, who was 
found worthy to conceive and bring forth 
Him, who has given life and being to all 
creatures! Honor, glory, and benediction 
be to thee, on the throne of thy greatness, to 
which God has exalted thee. In unison with 
the whole court of heaven, I render to thee 
the tribute of my homage. I choose thee to 
be my Queen, and place myself under thy pro- 
tection. From thy throne of glory, cast a 
gracious look on me, who am surrounded by 
so many dangers. Pray for me to Jesus thy 
Son, that I may imitate the purity of angels, 
while on earth, and thus merit to be associat- 
ed to their glorious choirs in eternity. Queen 
of angels, obtain for me this favor. Amen. 



The Month of Mary 223 
Practice. 

Devotion to your guardian angel. 

Aspirajtion. 

Mary, would that I could love thee, as 
the angels of God love thee Diego Martinez. 



TVENTT-EIGHTH DAT 



Queen of PatriajFchs, Qeeen of 
Prophets, Pray for us. 

"She shall crush thy head,"— Gen. iii. 15. 

The mind can imagine nothing more vener- 
able among men, than the long line of patri- 
archs which connects Moses with Adam. Mary 
is said in a special manner to be their queen ; 
because she was the mother of Him, whose 
hope consoled them for the loss of primeval 



224 The Month of Marj 

happiness and innocence, and sustained them 
in all the trials of their pilgrimage here below. 
Adam beholds in her the mysterious creature, 
who, bv bringing forth the Eedeemer, who 
cancelled the decree of God's justice against 
him and all his posterity, was the means of 
repairing his transgression, and crushing the 
head of the infernal serpent who had seduced 
Eve. Abel beholds in her the mother of 
Him, whose sacrifice his own death so 
well prefigured. Noe regards her as the 
mystic ark of which that, in which he and 
his family were saved from the deluge, was 
but a type, and was the means of saving, not 
one family, but all nations, from being over- 
whelmed by the deluge of iniquity. Abra- 
ham venerates her as the Mother of that 
blessed seed, promised to him, in whom all 
the nations of the earth were to be blessed. 
Isaac sees in her the Virgin, whose myster- 
ious fecundity was typified by the benediction 
given to the sterility of his mother, Sarah; 
and the sacrifice of whose Son, his own 
sacrifice on Mount Moria prefigured. Jacob 
beholds in her the mystic ladder, which he 
saw when he was fleeing into Mesopotamia 
from the face of Esau ; whose feet stood on 



The Month of Mary 225 



the earth while the top thereof touched the 
heavens— on the steps of which the angels of 
God ascended and descended, while the Lord 
himself leaned on the summit, and renewed 
to him the promise of a future Eedeemer, 
which he had made to Abraham and Isaac.^ 
Joseph venerates in her that stainless purity, 
of which he himself had given an illus- 
trious example; as also the bright reward 
which was given to it, in making her the 
mother of the Savior of the world, as it had 
made him the Savior of the land of Egypt. 
Who, then, can conceive the glory and vener- 
ation which Mary receives, as Queen of the 
patriarchs? 

She is also styled the Queen of prophets, be- 
cause Christ her son was the great object of 
prophecy. After the deliverance of the Jew- 
ish people from the bondage of Egypt, God 
raised up a series of prophets, who foretold 
the future coming of the Messiah, and de- 
tailed all the circumstance of his birth, 
life, and passion. Moses venerates in her the 
Mother of that prophet whom God promised 
by him to the Jewish people, and whom all 
the sacrifices of the law prefigured. Josue 
honors her, as the Mother of the true Josue or 

1 Gen. xxviii. 12, 13, 14, 



226 The Month of Mary 

Jesus, whose victories acquired for men the 
title to the true land of promise. Samuel 
reverences her as the mysterious root of Jesse, 
which budded forth salvation to the nations ; 
and which, in the person of David, he had 
been the instrument of placing over Judea. 
Isaias admires her as the accomplishment of 
that glorious prophecy which he made to 
Achaz ; and as the mother of that prince of 
peace, whose birth he celebrated, and whose 
glories and humihations he foretold. Elias 
sees in her that hope of man, which was pre- 
figured by the mystic cloud, which was the fore- 
runner of those abundant showers that re- 
freshed a world, which by its iniquity had 
made the heavens of brass for the sons of men. 

Jeremias reveres her as the restorer of that 
Jerusalem, over whose ruins he wept; and the 
mother of him, who brought back the people 
from a more severe captivity than that of 
Babylon. Daniel honors her as the proximate 
cause of the shortening of the captivity of the 
human race, by giving to the world Him, 
by whom iniquity was abolished, and everlast- 
ing justice fulfilled. Micheas beholds her, 
whose virginal maternity he had present to 
his view when he foretold, that Bethlehem of 



The Month of Mary 227 



Juda was to be the temporal birthplace of 
Him, whose going forth is from the days of 
eternity. In a word, as all the prophets fore- 
told Christ, all rejoice in the contemplation 
of his Virgin Mother, who, in bringing forth 
Jesus, accomplished all the prophecies of 
the law, and was herself a prophetess, by fore- 
telling that all generations should call her 
blessed. 

The providence of God in preparing the 
world for the appearance of His Divine 
Son in human flesh is most worthy of our 
admiration. A series of prophecies, which 
commenced immediately after the fall of man, 
was continued for near four thousand years, 
and increased in clearness and minuteness 
of detail, in proportion as the happy term ap- 
proached, in which they were to be accom- 
plished. This was a preparation most wor- 
thy of God, and well calculated to give us a 
lively faith in the mysteries announced by 
the Eedeemer, and an exalted idea of the 
benefits He has conferred on us. Well may 
we apply to ourselves what Jesus said to 
the Jews : ^'Many prophets and just men have 
desired to see the things that you see, and 
have not seen them, and to hear the things 



228 The Month of Mary 

that you hear, and have not heard them."^ 
Let us endeavor to imagine with what feelings 
of veneration the just who lived before Christ 
looked forward to that mysterious Virgin, 
who was to conceive the Son of the Most 
High, and give to the world the long expect- 
ed Messiah. How much does the fervor 
of these holy souls, who saw the glories 
of His reign through the dimness of 
futurity, reproach us for our indifference to 
the benefits we actually possess, but which 
we do not suflBciently appreciate! Ah, let 
us fly to Mary, and ask of her to obtain 
for us from Jesus, the grace to know the 
inestimable happiness of living in the noon- tide 
light of his revelation. Let us never be 
'^rebels to the light," but, on the contrary, 
profit by it, to advance on our journey, going 
from virtue to virtue, until we arrive at the 
term of our course, and be permitted to be- 
hold the splendors of His glory, who ^^dwelleth 
in light inaccessible." 

Example. 

St. Bernard, the first abbot of Clairvaux, 
was a great ornament, and pillar of the 
Church,in the twelfth century. He did much for 

1 Matt. xiii. 17. 



The Month of Mary 229 



the promotion of God's glory, by the unction 
of his eloquence, his apostolic zeal, and the 
holiness of his life. Devotion to Mary was 
his characteristic virtue. No one can read the 
prayers or sermons he composed in her honor 
without feeling himself moved. Bernard put 
himself under her protection,even from his very 
childhood, and the Mother of mercy showed 
him, on many occasions, how acceptable 
to her was his devotion. When young he had 
a vision of the Queen of heaven, by which he 
learned much on the incarnation. This 
vision enkindled in his heart the strongest 
love for Jesus and Mary, and gave him the idea 
of a great work, which he afterwards composed 
to honor the Mother of God and her divine 
Son. Among other favors which he received 
from Mary was the instantaneous restoration 
of his health, when he lay dangerously ill, and 
his physicians had given up all hopes of his 
recovery. Bernard endeavored to inflame all 
hearts with devotion to the Queen of heaven. 
To excite the faithful to have confidence in 
her intercession, he was accustomed to say: 
*^She does not want power to help us, for she is 
the Mother of God ; nor yet good will, for she 
is the Mother of Mercy, and our Mother also. 



230 The Month of Mary 

She is not a mother merely of the juBt, but 
also of sinners/' St. Bernard may be 
justly called ''the panegyrist of Mary;" be- 
cause none of the holy fathers and doctors of 
the Church have spoken of the greatness and 
goodness of Mary, with more unction and 
eloquence. His writings would alone suffice 
to proclaim her praise to the end of the 
world, and to enkindle the love of her in all 
hearts. He died in the 62d year of his age, in 
1153, and was buried in his church, before the 
altar of that holy Virgin, whom he so 
tenderly loved, and so faithfully served. 

Prayer. 

O Mary, Queen of heaven and of earth, Thou 
hast surpassed all the patriarchs, by the 
purity, constancy, and endurance of thy con- 
fidence in God ; by thy hope of man's redemp- 
tion, and by thy reliance on all the other 
promises of God. Thou hast excelled all the 
prophets, by the liveliness, submission, and 
extent, of thy faith. Thou art the Queen of 
both, for they all sighed for thee, they all re- 
joiced at thy coming, as at the aurora of the 
world's salvation: and all praise and honor 
thee in heaven as their Queen, and the Queen 



The Month of Mary 231 

of all creatures. Obtain for me a participa- 
tion of that lively faith and that unshaken 
hope, through which they have attained 
eternal life; that through faith and hope I 
may obtain perfect charity, and persevere to 
the end in the love of God. Thus do I hope to 
attain eternal life, and with the patriarchs 
and prophets, and all the elect of God, honor 
and adore the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
through all eternity. Amen. 

Practice. 

Return God thanks for the gift of faith ; and 
say a ^^Hail Mary," for the conversion of all 
who are strangers to this divine light. 

Aspiration. 

Mary, aid thy servants, who have been re- 
deemed with the precious blood of thy Son !— 
St. Bonaventura. 



232 The Month of Mary 



T VENTY-NINTH DAY 



Queen of Apostles, Queen of Con- 
fessors, Pray for us, 

*^iud a great sign appeared in heaven. 
A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon 
under her feet, and on her head a crown of 
twelve stars."— Apocalypse xii. 1. 

This is understood by some holy fathers of 
the blessed Virgin. She is clothed with the 
sun, by close relation to Christ, the Sun of 
Justice ; she has the moon under her feet, for 
she is the great channel of God's mercy to 
man ; and on her head is a crown of twelve 
stars, because those twelve great lights of the 
world, the apostles, acknowledge her for 
their Queen, and encircle her head with a new 
wreath of glory. How these chosen disciples 
of Jesus Christ must have loved Mary— the 
Mother of their dear Master! With what 
reverence they regarded her, who was the 
Mother of Him, whose power they had seen 



The Month of Mary 233 



so frequently and so wonderfully displayed, 
and whose divine nature the Father himself 
had revealed to them through Peter! Mary 
was the teacher of the apostles ; because they 
learned from her many of the circumstances, 
which preceded and followed the birth of 
Christ, which they could not otherwise have 
known, except by express revelation. She is 
especially mentioned to have been united 
with them in prayer and retirement, after 
our Lord's ascension, when they chose the 
apostle Mathias, and when the Holy Ghost 
descended upon them. We may be assured 
that as the Divine Spirit communicates him- 
self in proportion to the dispositions of those 
whom he visits, Mary received graces on this 
occasion, which made her the admiration of 
the apostolic college, by the increased zeal 
and constancy she manifested. With such 
an example before them, need we wonder 
that the apostles co-operated so faithfully 
with the graces they then received ; and that 
they went forth to announce the glad tidings 
of salvation, without being intimidated by 
the dangers to which they thus exposed 
themselves. If, now, they are bright and 
shining stars in heaven, they owe much of 



234 The Month of Marv 

their success to the influence of Mary's ex- 
ample, and to the eflBcacy of her prayers. 

Mary is the queen of those apostolic men, 
whom God has raised up in every age and 
country, to be teachers in His Church; 
and who have defended it by their learn- 
ing, while they edified its members by 
their heroic sanctity, and enlarged its 
boundaries by their apostolic zeal. They 
have been the servants of Mary, whom 
they regarded as their most powerful aid, 
in all that they undertook for the promotion 
of God's greater glory. The founders of the 
different rehgious orders have bequeathed this 
devotion to their children, as the most pre- 
cious portion of their inheritance ; and some 
among them have ordered their disciples to 
merit for themselves the powerful protection 
of Mary by the daily recital of her office. 
They knew, that as their only object was to 
promote the glory of God they could not em- 
ploy a more efficacious means for securing 
success, than the intercession of her who de- 
sires, more than any other creature, that His 
kingdom should be established in all hearts. 
Hence their confidence in her was unbounded, 
and their sentiments, those of great St. Cyril 



The Month of Mary 235 



of Alexandria, who addressing the holy Vir- 
gin, says: ^^By thee the Trinity is glorified; 
by thee the precious cross is celebrated, and 
adored throughout the whole world. By thee, 
heaven exults, the angels and archangels re- 
joice, the demons are put to flight, and lost man 
restored to heaven. By thee, mankind, which 
was enslaved by the errors of idolatry, has 
been converted to truth ; believers have been 
baptized ; and churches are erected through- 
out the whole world. By thy aid, nations 
have done penance. What more can be 
said ? By thee, the only-begotton Son of God , 
that true light, has shined on those that were 
in darkness, and in the shadow of death. 
Who can worthily celebrate thy praises, 
Mother and Virgin !" ^ 

What more efficacious means of promoting 
the diffusion of Catholic truth and Catholic 
piety can be employed, than to accompany 
all our efforts for both, by carrying about 
Mary in our hearts, and encouraging others 
to the practice of this devotion? The Church, 
solemnly addressing her, says: "Rejoice, 
Virgin Mary, because thou alone hast de- 
stroyed all heresies." This was the language 
of men who had practical experience of its 



1 St. Cyril cont. Nestorium, 



236 The Month of Mary 

truth. This was the sentiment of those 
faithful dispensers of God's mysteries, who, 
both in ancient and modern times, not only 
overcame the attacks made on their own 
souls, but also made great inroads among 
God's enemies, either by bringing whole na- 
tions into the fold of Christ, or by renewing 
the face of the earth among degenerate 
Christians. If we wish that our exertions 
should be crowned by equally glorious re- 
sults, we must use the same weapons which 
rendered them successful. We shall find, that 
devotion to Mary is the great bulwark of 
Christian faith and morality : because it can- 
not be practiced, without imparting to those 
who adopt it, a more accurate notion of the in- 
carnation of the Son of God, and a more feel- 
ing sense of its immense advantages to us 
than can otherwise be communicated. 

Example. 

The great apostle of India, St. Francis Xav- 
ier, was distinguished by his tender devo- 
tion to the Mother of God. It was on the 
festival of her Assumption that he made his 
first vows. When he visited the church of 
LorettOjhe felt, for the first time, a great desire 



The Month of Mary 237 



of devoting himself to the propagation of the 
gospel in India. He was accustomed to offer 
up all his petitions to God, through the inter- 
cession of Mary ; and, in his public instruc- 
tions, after begging the gift of a lively faith for 
himself and his hearers, he addressed himself to 
Mary, whom, in the conclusion of his discourse, 
he always saluted with the Salve Eegina— 
"Hail holy Queen." He undertook nothing 
without first recommending it to God through 
Mary; and in the innumerable dangers to 
which he was exposed, he had recourse to her 
for protection. Far from being ashamed of 
being called her servant, he gloried in this 
title, and carried his beads about his neck, to 
manifest it to all. In the performance of 
many of the miracles recorded in his life, he 
made use of the beads, thereby to induce 
others to practise this devotion. On being 
asked for some token by a merchant of 
Meliapore, who was about to embark for 
Malacca, he gave him his beads, saying: 
"They will be of some use to you, provided you 
have confidence in Mary." The ship in which 
he embarked, had scarcely got out of port, 
when she was driven on the rocks by a furious 
tempest, and shattered to pieces. The mer- 



238 The Month of Mary 

chant, full of confidence in the Blessed Virgin, 
applied to her, who is, not without reason, 
called the "safety of the shipwrecked. " He held 
up the beads given him by Francis, and sud- 
denly found himself miraculously transported 
to the shore. 

St. Francis had a particular devotion to the 
immaculate conception of his dear Mother, 
and endeavored on all occasions to pro- 
pagate it. When about to undertake the 
conversion of great sinners, he never failed to 
place his hope of success in Mary, by whose 
intercession he also sought to obtain the re- 
mission of his own offences. In one of his let- 
ters he says : "I have taken the Queen of hea- 
ven for my protectress, that thus I may obtain 
the pardon of my innumerable sins." In his 
instructions, he always insisted much on the 
greatness of the Mother of God, and spared 
no exertion to induce others to place them- 
selves under her protection. At the moment 
of his death— which occurred in the island of 
Sancian, almost in sight of that China, to which 
this most zealous servant of Mary so much 
desired to announce the gospel— he appealed 
to her, by often repeating the beautiful and 
touching language of the Church: "Show 
thyself a Mother." 



The Month of Mary 239 



Prayer. 

Mary ! the Apostles left all things for the 
promotion of God's glory; the confessors 
labor unceasingly for the same glorious object. 
Thou hast surpassed the Apostles by the per- 
fection of thy sacrifice, and by thefervor of thy 
zeal ; thou dost excel the confessors, by the 
intrepidity with which thou didst confess 
Christ, when abandoned by all, and expiring 
on the cross. sacred Virgin ! obtain for me 
a portion of the apostolic spirit, a zeal for 
my own salvation, and the salvation of my 
brethren. Make me endeavor, by all means 
in my power, to extend the kingdom of thy 
Divine Son, and offer incessantly my prayer 
for the conversion of all who are yet sitting 
in darkness and in the shadow of death, or 
who are estranged from the one fold of the 
one Shepherd, thy divine Son. Make me ever 
ready to confess Jesus Christ both by word 
and work, that thus, through thy powerful 
intercession, Queen of Confessors ! I may be 
acknowledged by Him, before His Heavenly 
Father. Amen. 



240 The Month of Mary 
Practice. 

Devoutly recite the Litany of the Blessed 
Virgin, for the propagation of the Catholic 
faith. 

Aspiration. 

Rejoice, Virgin Mar}^ thou alone hast 
destroyed all heresies in the whole world ! 



THIRTIETH DAY 



Queen of Martyrs, Pray for us. 

"Thj own soulasword shall pierce."— Luke 
xi. 35. 

When the holy Simeon took the infant Je- 
sus into his arms, on the day of his solemn 
presentation in the temple, he announced to 
the Virgin Mother of the Messiah, that this 
child was set up to be contradicted, and that 



The Month of Mary 24=1 



a sword should pierce her own soul. Although 
all the life of Mary was marked with suffering, 
especially after the birth of Christ, this proph- 
ecy received its perfect accomplishment, when 
she beheld her Divine Son in the hands of his 
enemies, and saw him endure every variety of 
torture, which the malice and cruelty of his 
persecutors could inflict. These sufferings of 
the Mother of God are the peculiar objects of 
the Church's devotion. She invites her chil- 
dren to sympathize with this most sor- 
rowful and afflicted Mother ;--to stand with 
her under the cross of the agonizing Jesus, 
and hear her address to them the words of 
the prophet Jeremias: ^^0 all you that pass 
by the way, attend and see, if there be any 
sorrow like unto my sorrow."^ We cannot 
consider the part which Mary had in the 
sufferings of her divine Son, without address- 
ing her in the language of the same prophet : 
"To what shall I compare thee, or to what 
shall I liken thee, daughter of Jerusalem ? — 
to what shall I equal thee, that I may com- 
fort thee, Yirgin'daughter of Sion, for great 
as the sea is thy destruction."^ 

To consider the nature and extent of Mary's 
sorrows, we must remember that she suffered 

1 Lamentations i. 12. 2 Lam. ii. 13, 



24:2 The Month of Mary 



in proportion as she loved. Her love of Jesus 
knew no bounds. The strongest feelings of 
maternal affection in other creatures are not 
to be compared with hers : for as she was far 
removed above the condition of our fallen 
nature, her sensibilities were proportionably 
increased ; and as no mother had such a Son, 
no mother ever loved a son with such pure 
and ardent affection, as Mary did Jesus. 
Much as she loved Him as man, she loved Him 
much more as God: and hence her maternal 
affection partook in some degree of the 
infinite character of its divine object. "In 
other saints," says St. Bernard, "the great- 
ness of their love diminished the ex- 
cess of their sufferings ; but the more Mary 
loved, the more she suffered ; and her martyr- 
dom was the more painful." What, then, 
must have been her feelings ; how poignant her 
grief, at beholding all that Jesus had to en- 
dure from the treachery and weakness of his 
disciples ; the calumnies of the false witnesses, 
and the blasphemies of his judges ; the buffets 
and mockery of the high priest's servants; the 
scourging, crowning with thorns, and out- 
rageous mockery of the soldiery ! 0, what a 
sight was presented to this most afflicted 



The Month of Mary 243 



Mother, when Pilate produced Jesus to the 
people— His hair clotted, and face disfigured, 
with the blood which yet continued to stream 
down from his perforated temples— His body 
one continued wound by the heavy and num- 
erous stripes he had received— and covered 
with the garment of mock royalty, in which 
the barbarous soldiery had clad Him ? What 
an accumulation of sorrow must have over- 
whelmed her, when she heard the inhuman cry 
of exultation, with which the infuriate multi- 
tude received the suffering Savior; and heard 
them cry out with deafening shouts : "Away 
with this man !— crucify him, crucify him 

It was on Calvary that Mary's tender and 
loving heart received the most bitter wound. 
Place yourselves in spirit by her side, and 
contemplate the sad spectacle which she 
there had to behold. All the outrages and 
cruelties, all the mockeries and insults of the 
preceding part of the passion, seemed now 
collected together, and discharged at once on 
the suffering Jesus. "He suffered in the 
body," says a holy writer, "she in the heart." 
When she saw her beloved son stretched on 
the cross, and beheld the rough nails driven 
into his sacred hands and feet; when she 



244 The Month of Mary 

heard the blows of the hammer and saw the 
body of Jesus writhe in excruciating agony 
under this most barbarously cruel torture, 
how she must have suffered ! When the cross 
was raised ; and during the three hours that 
Jesus hung in living death upon it; every 
moment Mary suffered as much as would have 
caused her death, had not God supported her 
in an extraordinary manner. Every look she 
cast on Jesus— every expression of agony she 
discovered in him — every insult He received, 
was a renewal of a martyrdom which has 
merited for her the title of ^ ^martyr of 
martyrs." The devout servant of Mary, St. 
Bernard, addressing this Queen of martyrs, 
says: ^*Truly, Blessed Mother, a sword 
pierced thy soul— for before it reached the 
body of thy Son, it passed through thy heart. 
And indeed after Jesus had expired, that 
lance which pierced His side did not affect 
his soul, but transfixed thine. For his soul 
was no longer there, but thine could not 
be torn from it; Thy soul was then over- 
whelmed with sorrow, so that we justly call 
thee more than martyr, in whom the force 
of sorrow excelled the sense of corporal suffer- 
ing. Was not that address of Jesus more 



The Month of Mary 245 



piercing than a sword, and reaching even to 
the division of the soul from the spirit?— 
"Woman, behold th J son!"— what an ex- 
change ! John is given to thee for Jesus— the 
servant for the Lord— the disciple for the 
master— the son of Zebedee for the son of the 
Most High God— a mere man for the true 
God ! How must this have affected thy most 
loving heart, when even its remembrance 
pierces our stony and flinty breasts I Wonder 
not, brethren, that Mary is said to be a martyr 
in her soul. Let him be astonished at it, who 
does not remember that Paul enumerates a- 
mongthe greatest crimes of the Gentiles, that 
they were without affection. Far be that from 
Mary; far be it from her servants. But, per- 
chance, some one may say: Did not she 
know he was to die ? Undoubtedly. Did not 
she hope that he would arise ? Most certainly. 
And did she then grieve at his crucifixion? 
Most bitterly. But who art thou, brother, 
or whence hast thou derived that wisdom to 
make thee more astonished at the grief of 
Mary than at the sufferings of Jesus? He 
could die of corporal agony: she could 
not die with Him of sympathy. Charity, 
greater than which no man hath had, 



246 The Month of Mary 

caused His death: charity, the like of 
which no one hath had after her, caused her 
grief. Let us compassionate this most 
afflicted Mother and be ever mindful that she 
justly claims not only our sympathy, but our 
gratitude. As it was the sins of men that 
caused the sufferings of Jesus ; it was the sins 
of men that caused the grief of Mary. She 
suffered for our salvation, according to the 
prophecy of Simeon : **Thy own soul a sword 
shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts 
may be revealed." 

Example. 

Among the saints who have distinguished 
themselves by devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 
St. Francis of Borgia is particularly re- 
markable. This great man was Duke of 
Gandia, but left the world to serve God in the 
Society of Jesus, of which he was the third 
General. While in the world he led a very 
holy life, but God, who had great designs on 
him, inspired him with a desire of drawing 
still nearer to Him, by leaving all for his 
sake. When the Empress Isabelle, the con- 
sort of Charles v., died in the bloom of youth, 
Francis received from the emperor the honor- 



The Month of Mary 247 



able commission of accompanying the corpse 
of the deceased from Toledo, where she died, 
to Grenada, the burying-place of the kings 
of Spain. Before the body was delivered 
to the clergy at Grenada, Francis was 
obliged to identify the corpse of the 
late empress. On opening the cofSn, her face 
was discovered to be so awfully deformed by 
the progress of putrefaction, that no trace 
of her former countenance could be discovered. 
At the sight of this disgusting mass of rotten- 
ness and corruption, a ray of God's light shot 
across the soul of Francis, who recognised in 
it the fate of all earthly greatness and beauty. 
On returning to his house, he threw himself 
on his knees before God, and spent the whole 
night in prayer, in tears and meditation. He 
then made the following vow, which he con- 
stantly repeated and confirmed — '^Lord ! I 
promise thee, that I will never more serve a 
creature, whom death may snatch from 
me." After the death of his wife, he executed 
his resolution: he renounced all earthly hon. 
ors, possessions, and hopes, and entered into 
the Society of Jesus, to serve God in humility 
and retirement. During his life, this great 
Saint had a most ardent devotion to Mary. 



248 The Month of Mary 

He said some prayers every day in her 
honor, especially the Eosary. He made 
this the occasion of meditating on the 
mysteries of our Savior's life and death, 
which the Church wishes to place before 
the minds of her children in this devotion. 
Whenever he thought of the incarnation of 
the Son of God, or of his life and death, he 
turned his thoughts to Mary, who had so 
great a part in all these saving mysteries. 

In the meditation on the incarnation, he 
considered Jesus in the virginal womb of 
Mary ; in the mysteries of his birth and child- 
hood, he represented to himself this same di- 
vine Savior in the arms of His holy Mother: 
in his private life, he saw Jesus subject to Mary 
as her Son. In the years of His divine mission 
among men, he thought how carefully Mary 
treasured up all the words and instructions of 
her divine Son. In the sufferings of Jesus, 
he beheld Mary, suffering through the excess 
of love and grief, transfixed by the sword of 
grief, and standing at the foot of the cross. 
He especially desired to excite in his heart the 
same sentiments as Mary experienced on these 
occasions. Thus, in all his meditations on 
the mysteries of redemption, his eyes ever 



The Month of Mary 249 



turned to Mary, who so lovingly and hero- 
ically contributed to our salvation. The 
boundless confidence that he had in Jesus, 
as his Savior and Mediator, was founded 
principally on Mary, whom he regarded as 
his advocate with her divine Son. He 
sought to make all men participate in His 
feelings towards her, and in his confidence 
in her intercession. He propagated this 
devotion with wonderful success among all 
classes, and thereby was enabled to preserve 
many souls from vice, to recall many others 
to duty, and to excite others to enter on the 
way of perfection. Being convinced that we 
never pray in vain, when we offer our prayers, 
through Mary, to her divine Son, he had re- 
course to her on all occasions, and always 
found in her support and consolation. So 
true is it, that Mary never abandons her ser- 
vants; and that, as St. Bernard has remarked, 
no one can seek in vain the aid of this Mother 
of mercy, who applies to her with an humble, 
filial, and confiding heart. 

Prayer. 

Mary Queen of Martyrs! how bitterly 
didst thou weep at the sufferings and death of 



250 The Month of Mary 

thy Divine Son ! how much hast thou suffered 
for the sins of men! By the merits of thy 
bitter sorrows, obtain for me a sincere sorrow 
for my sins, and the gift of tears to lament 
them. Although innocent, thou hast suffered 
excessive torments, for my sake ; and yet how 
little do I think of all that my sins have made 
thee endure ! most sorrowful Virgin I obtain 
for me a most tender devotion to the sacred 
passion of our Divine Lord. Make me remain 
with thee on Calvary, under the cross of thy 
agonizing Jesus, and mingle my tears with 
his precious blood. Make me the companion of 
thy sufferings, by my constant devotion to the 
passion of thy dear Jesus. Transfix my heart 
with sorrow at the sight of His sufferings, and 
at the remembrance of thy sorrows; and 
make me duly prepare for death, by crucifying 
my corrupt inclinations, and dying daily to the 
world and its vanities. Amen. 

Practice. 

Kecite the ^^Stabat Mater" in honor of this 
most afflicted Mother. Make the cross the 
frequent subject of your meditation. 



The Month of Mary 251 



Aspirajtion. 

Mother, fountainof love, make me feel the 
force of thy sorrow, and weep with thee : in- 
flame my heart with the love of Christ, mj 
God! 



T H I R TY-F I R S T DAT 



Queen of All Saints, Pray for us. 

"After this I saw a great multitude which 
no man could number, of all nations, and 
tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing be- 
fore the throne.'*— Apocalypse vii. 9. 

The Most Holy Virgin survived her Divine 
Son for many years, in which she continued 
to be the consolation and edification of the 
infant Church. How her heart must have ex- 
ulted at beholding the name of Jesus honored 
throughout the world, and the darkness of 
idolatry and immorality vanish before the 



252 The Month of Mary 

bright lighfc of His everlasting gospel! She 
doubtless experienced inconceivable joy at 
the increase of God's kingdom; and felt that 
all she had endured was more than compen- 
sated for by the glorious results which follow- 
ed the humiliations and sufferings of her Di- 
vine Son. But what language can express 
the intimacy of the union of her soul with God ! 
Although she longed to be dissolved and be 
with Christ, she patiently submitted to the 
dispositions of God's providence, and made 
her desire of enjoying His heavenly bliss give 
way to her wish, to promote His love among 
men. When the time approached, in which 
she gave up her pure soul to God, how joyful- 
ly did she exult at the prospect of passing to 
the enjoyment of that God, who had done 
such great things for her, and, through her, 
for all mankind ! 

Although Mary was not exempted from the 
stroke of death, God did not suffer that body 
of which Jesus Christ assumed flesh, to under- 
go the consequences of death, or to remain in 
the grave. ^'The flesh of Jesus," says St. 
Augustin, '^was the flesh of Mary," and as 
God did not permit His Holy One to see cor- 
ruption, so he did not permit the immaculate 



The Month of Mary 253 



body of the Holy Virgin to moulder in the 
tomb. Although not an article of faith, it is 
one of the most sacred and venerable tra- 
ditions of the Christian Church— which cannot 
be called In question by any of her children, 
without grievous presumption— that Mary's 
body, like that of her Divine Son, was raised 
by God from the grave, and, being united 
with her sacred soul, assumed into heaven. 
Hence in the joyous festival of her as- 
sumption, which the Church has celebrated 
from the earliest times, this spouse of Jesus 
Christ calls on her children to exult. '^Letus 
all rejoice in the Lord, while we celebrate the 
festival of the glorious Virgin Mary, at 
whose assumption, the angels rejoice and 
praise the Son of God." Let us also rejoice 
with the angels of God, and behold in spirit 
this holiest and most perfect of God's creat- 
ures enter into that heaven, which, through 
her Son Jesus, she had opened to man. If 
Solomon, when he saw his mother approach, 
rose up, and ordered a throne to be placed 
for her at his right hand, can we doubt but 
that Christ, of whom Solomon was a type, 
honored the approach of his loved and faith- 
ful mother, placed her on a throne, far above 



254 The Month of Mfiry 

that on which the highest of the angelic host 
are seated,-— and crowned her Queen of Angels 
and of Saints. 

St. Bernard thus invites the daughters of 
Sion, that is, the children of the Church, to 
contemplate the glory of this heavenly 
Queen: ^^Enter and see this great Queen, 
and the diadem, wherewith her Son has 
crowned her." Yes, raise your eyes, Chris- 
tian soul, and behold this Queen of all Saints, 
enjoying the united glories that you have 
separately considered. See her, surrounded 
by the angelic hosts, and all the heavenly 
powers,— the cherubim and seraphim, the 
thrones and dominations ;~encircled by the 
glorious choir of apostles, the venerable 
company of prophets, and the white- 
robed army of martyrs. Behold the con- 
fessors and virgins, who have followed in 
her footsteps, by the practice of the evan- 
gelical counsels. Admire the holy matrons, 
who have honored Mary, that most favored 
among women, whose divine maternity 
has been their consolation and support; 
and who, in imitation of her, have consecrat- 
ed to God the gifts they received from Him. 
See her, in a word, surrounded by all that 



The Month of Mary 255 



is holj and venerable in human nature— by 
the saints of every tribe and tongue, and by 
those who have sanctified themselves, in hum- 
ble as well as in elevated stations— in the 
midst of the corruptions of the world, as well 
as in the sacred asylums of religious retire- 
ment. If the contemplation of each one of 
these classes be more than sufficient to en- 
gross our attention and excite our admira- 
tion, what must be the effect of their united 
splendors ! what the brilliancy of that crown 
which Mary has received from her Divine Son 
as Queen of all the Saints! '*Who," asks 
St. Bernard, *^can appreciate the brightness 
of those gems, or name the stars, of which the 
crown of Mary is composed?" But let us re- 
member, that if we wish to be associated to 
this glorious group in heaven, we must rank 
with them on earth, by copying their imita- 
tion of the virtues of the Queen of Saints. 

Example. 

St. Andrew Corsini affords us, in his life, an 
example from which we may learn how effica- 
cious is the intercession of the Queen of Saints, 
in withdrawing the sinner from the error of 
his way, and exciting him to aspire to, and 



256 The Month of Mary 

attain, a high degree of perfection. Before the 
birth of Andrew, he was offered to the Blessed 
Virgin, by his holy parents as the first fruits 
of their marriage. On the night in which he 
was born, his mother, Peregrina, had a dream 
which filled her with alarm. It seemed to her, 
as if she had brought forth a wolf, who fleeing 
to a church, was changed into a lamb. This 
was a picture of what was afterwards to 
happen to Andrew. His pious parents em- 
ployed every care and precaution, to bring 
him up in the fear of God ; but, as too often 
happens, through the influence of bad com- 
pany, an immoderate desire of play, and neg- 
lect of duty, he fell into the greatest disorders. 
Dissipation hurried him from one vice to an- 
other; until he was without affection for 
his parents, whom he disobeyed without re- 
morse ; so that all who knew him were full 
of apprehension for the future. Mean- 
while, his mother, mindful of her dream, 
sought consolation from Mary by continual 
prayer. Andrew, while one day prepar- 
ing for a party of pleasure, expressed him- 
self in a very disrespectful manner to his 
mother; she burst into tears, and told him the 
depth, of her aflaiction. 'Indeed, son,'' said 



The Month of Mary 257 



she, ^^you are the wolf that I saw in my dream." 
Somewhat moved at these words, he said : 
''What do you say, mother? Am la wolf?" 
Peregrina hereupon related the dream that 
she had had, and also mentioned that, before 
his birth, she had offered him to the Blessed 
Virgin. So great was the impression this made 
on Andrew, that he was unable to sleep dur- 
ing the following night. The thought, that 
he had been dedicated to the Mother of God 
occupied his mind. ' 'Virgin Mother," he at 
length exclaimed, "because I am thy servant, 
I will unceasingly serve thee." At the break 
of day, he went to the church of the Carmel- 
ites, and prostrating himself before an image 
of Mary, offered himself up to this merciful 
mother, and bade her change this wolf into 
a lamb. He frequently repeated this prayer ; 
at length it was heard. To serve the holy 
Virgin in a perfect manner, he asked the 
prior of the convent to admit him into 
the order. Having obtained this request, 
he showed, by the piety of his life, that 
the dream of his mother was not an idle 
fancy. Andrew made great advances in 
virtue, and was soon an experienced master 
in perfection. He was subsequently ordained 



258 The Month of Mary 

priest, in obedience to the orders of his su- 
perior, and soon after was made bishop. In 
all the circumstances of his life, he cherished 
a fervent devotion to Mary, his powerful 
protectress ; and sought all opportunities of 
proclaiming her praises. He was called to the 
nuptials of the heavenly Lamb in 1373, and 
experienced, in his last hours, the powerful in- 
tercession of her who had procured for him 
the grace of conversion, and inspired him 
with the desire for perfection. 

Prayer. 

O, Queen of heaven and of earth ! God has 
loved and honored thee above all creatures : 
and now thou art exalted above all saints in 
the kingdom of heaven. All admire thy vir- 
tue and perfection ; all praise, and reverence 
thee as their Queen. 0, glorious Queen I de- 
spise not my petitions : accept of my homage, 
my veneration, and my love. I commend 
myself to thy powerful protection, and dedi- 
cate to thee what I am, and what I have. On 
thee do I found my hope, for although thou 
art my Queen, thou art also my gracious 
and amiable Mother. Thou has quitted this 
world, and entered into possession of thy king- 



The Month of M^ry 259 



dom. Thy elevation has increased thy com- 
passion for the hapless children of Adam. 
From the sublime throne on which thou art 
seated, cast thy merciful eyes on the inhabit- 
ants of earth, and take pity on them. Thou 
seest to what dangers they are exposed, as long 
as they sail on this tempestuous sea, on which 
so many have been wrecked. Obtain for me 
perseverance in the grace of God, that on 
quitting this world I may chant thy praises 
and benefits, and, in union vvdth thee, give 
endless praise and glory to our common Creat- 
or. Amen. 

Practice. 

Resolve to think often of heaven, and make 
use of every opportunity of impressing your- 
self with a high idea of its happiness. When 
you see beautiful objects, think with a holy 
servant of God, how much more beautiful is 
God I When you taste anything that pleases 
you, think how much delight is found in 
the enjoyment of heaven. When you hear 
fine music think of the choirs of angels. 

Aspiration. 
Mary, who can refuse to love thee ! 



CONCLUDING EXERCISE 



*^Give me thy heart."— Prov. xxiii. 26. 

Besides the general motives which should 
attach us to the service of Mary, there are 
some special ones which are well calculated to 
make us consecrate to her our heart, con- 
formably to the received custom of conclud- 
ing the exercises of this holy month. The 
heart is described by our Blessed Savior as 
the seat of our disorderly passions ; and it is 
recognized by all as the symbol of our best 
and holiest feelings. If, then, we wish to 
purify it from all disorder, and offer it a 
pleasing sacrifice to God— if we are prepared 
to comply with the obligation which He has 
imposed on us, of giving Him our heart, we 
cannot do better than consecrate it to Mary, 
and endeavor to assimilate it to her heart, 
which is so closely united with the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus. 

If we find ourselves defiled with the sins of 
years, and desire to offer to God the sacri- 
fice of a contrite and humble heart— to 
whom can we apply more able or will- 



The Month of Mary 261 

ing to aid us, when we ask of God to ^'create 
a clean heart" within us, than she whose 
heart was ever pure from the defilements 
of sin, and who, on that account, is most 
powerful with God? If we feel ourselves op- 
pressed by the consequences of Adam's sin, 
and find that passion seeks to gain those 
hearts which we would wish to preserve pure 
—what can we do better calculated to give 
efficacy to our prayer, that ^^our heart may 
be immaculate" in His sight, than to turn our 
eyes to Mary, and make her immaculate 
purity the object of our desires ? Do we desire 
to say with the psalmist : ''Lord, my heart is 
not exalted?" Let us look to Mary, who, al- 
though supereminently holy and elevated in 
dignity, yet kept her own nothingness so con- 
stantly before her eyes, as to find no motive 
more powerful for magnifying God, than that 
he had vouchsafed to look down on her. Do 
we desire that our hearts should glow with 
love of God, and that we may be able to say 
to Him : "Place me as a seal uponthy heart ?" 
What can we do better than seek, by loving 
Mary, to love Him, whom she loved with a 
love stronger than death ? 

We read in the life of a great servant of 



262 The Month of Mary 

God, the blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez, a lay 
brother of the Society of Jesus— that in his 
devout simplicity he ODce said to the Blessed 
Virgin: * 'My most amiable mother, I know 
that thou dost love me, but thou dost not 
love me as tenderly as I love thee.'' Here- 
upon he seemed to hear the Blessed Virgin re- 
ply: ''What sayest thou, Alphonsus? how- 
far above thy love for me is my love for thee : 
there is less distance between heaven and 
earth Let us, then, be intimately convinced 
that our holy Mother loves us above all that 
we can conceive, and let it be our only aim to 
love her without measure. Let us love her 
as the saints have loved her :-— as St. Bernard, 
who styled her the "ravisher of hearts,''— as 
St. Aloysius, whose heart beat as often as he 
pronounced her sacred name— as St. Philip 
of Neri, who called her "his delight,"— as St. 
Stanislas of Kostka, who communicated to 
those who heard him a portion of the ardor 
with which he himself was inflamed, as often 
as he spoke of his "dear mother;"— as the de- 
vout Blosius, who asks with amazement: "0 
Mary, who is there that does not love thee?" 
—as St. Teresa, who took her for her mother, 
when death had deprived her of her earthly 



The Month of Mary 263 



parent— as St. Mechtildis, who procured by 
prayer that she should be in a special manner 
the child of Mary :•— in a word, as all the saints 
have loved her. We are her children ; let us 
then love her with filial love. 

ExBjinple. 

The fruits of the devotion to the immaculate 
heart of Mary have been lately exhibited, in 
a very extraordinary manner, in a con- 
fraternity attached to the church of Notre- 
Dame-Des-Victoires in Paris. This parish is 
situated in the centre of that city, and con- 
tains a population, almost entirely engrossed 
with the cares and pleasures of life, the 
agitation of politics, and the amusements of 
the theatre. Almost every religious sentiment 
seemed extinct in the vast majority of the 
people: The church was deserted even on the 
greatest solemnities, and the sacraments 
were entirely neglected. The zealous pastor 
of this church, afflicted beyond measure at 
the evils he was obliged to witness, without 
being able to remedy, resolved to consecrate 
his parish to the most holy and immaculate 
Heart of Mary, The Archbishop of Paris 
approved of this devotion, by an ordinance of 



264 The Month of Mary 

the 16th December, 1836. On the third 
Sunday of Advent, the exercises commenced 
by singing the vespers of the Blessed Virgin, 
at which a more numerous congregation 
assisted than was wont to be on the greatest 
festivals. A sermon was preached on the 
nature and object of the devotion; after 
which, at the Benediction of the Holy 
Sacrament, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin 
was sung. The ^'Eefuge of Sinners" was 
chanted with extraordinary feeling, and with 
an effusion of sentiment which showed, that 
among this congregation, consisting of from 
five to six hundred persons, there were many 
who felt the need they had of the divine mercy, 
and the confidence they placed in the inter- 
cession of Mary. 

The pastor was kneeling before the Blessed 
Sacrament, and felt himself deeply affected at 
this manifestation of feeling. He raised his 
eyes to Mary, and recommended to her protec- 
tion this pious association. *^As a sign of thy 
protection," added he, ^^obtain forme thecon- 

version of M . I will visit him tomorrow in 

thy name." This gentleman was one of the 
last ministers of the virtuous, but unfort- 
unate, Louis XVI. He had been attached 



The Month of Mary 265 



to the sect of pretended philosophers of the 
last century, and had not practised any of 
the duties of reli2;ion since his youth. He 
was now in the eightieth year of his age; 
and, for some months, had been sick and 
blind, although his intellect was as strong as 
ever. Ten times had the worthy pastor en- 
deavored to approach him, and ten 
times had he been refused entrance. On 
the following Monday, the 12th December, 
he presented himself once more, but was at 
first denied admittance; he persisted, and 
at length was allowed to enter. After 
some moments of indifferent conversation 

M said to his pastor, without making any 

preamble: "Please give me your benediction— 
I am delighted at your visit ; I cannot enjoy 
the satisfaction of beholding you ; but I feel 
your presence. Since your visit I enjoy a 
peace, a calm, an interior joy, which I have 
not known before." The worthy pastor did 
not let this opportunity pass without profit- 
ing by it, and completely succeeded in the 

great object of his visit. M survived until 

the following April, and all his time was de- 
voted to the great concern of his salvation. 
He expired in the most edifying sentiments of 



266 The Month of Mary 

faith and hope. This manifest benediction of 
God on the infant association inspired its 
members with increased confidence in Mary. 
The devotion was soon propagated, not only 
in France but throughout the rest of Europe ; 
so that Naples, Portugal, and Sweden, are 
the only countries whose name were not in- 
scribed on the register of the association at 
the time of the publication of the book whence 
these facts have been taken. ^ We find 
even New York, Charleston, Dubuque, De- 
troit, the Bermuda Isles, Martinique, and St. 
Domingo, mentioned as possessing mem- 
bers of this most amiable devotion. Pope 
Gregory XYI., by an apostolic brief, dated 
the 24th April, 1838, erected the association 
into an arch-confraternity, and enriched it 
with many spiritual treasures. The most 
hardened sinners have been converted in a 
manner that showed that these miracles of 
grace were the result of Mary's powerful 
intercession, procured by the fervent prayers 
of the devout members of this association. 



1 1839 



The Month of Mary 267 

Act of Consecration to the Sacred 
Heart of Mary. 

sacred and immaculate heart of Mary 
ever Virgin! heart, most holy, most 
pure, most noble, most august, and most per- 
fect which the omnipotence of God has formed 
in a pure creature ! exhaustless source of 
goodness and mildness, of mercy and of love ! 
model of all virtues; perfect image of the 
adorable Heart of Jesus! Heart, which didst 
always burn with the most ardent charity, 
which didst love God more than the Sera- 
phim—more than the angels and the saints ! 
O Heart of the Mother of the Eedeemer, which 
hast so lively a sense of our miseries, which 
didst suffer so much for our salvation, which 
hast loved us with such ardent love, and 
which claimest, by so many titles, the 
respect, love, and veneration of all creat- 
ures—vouchsafe to accept my unworthy 
homage. Prostrate before thee, sacred 
Heart of Mary, I honor thee with the 
most profound respect of which I am 
capable. I thank thee for the sentiments of 
mercy and of love with which thou hast been 
so often moved at the sight of my miseries. 



268 The Month of Mary 



I return thee thanks for all the benefits which 
thy maternal bounty has procured for me. 
I unite myself with all pure souls, who find 
their delight in honoring, praising, and loving 
thee. 

O most amiable Heart ! thou shall be hence- 
forward, after the Heart of Jesus, the object 
of my veneration, of my love, and of my devo- 
tion. By thee will I approach my Savior; 
and by thee shall I receive His graces and 
mercies. Thou wilt be my refuge in afflic- 
tion, my consolation in suffering, and my as- 
sistance in all my necessities. I will learn 
from thee purity, humility, and obedience: 
and derive from thee love of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Master. 
Amen. 

Practice. 

Recite the litany of the Sacred Heart of 
Mary : 

Lord ! have mercy on us. 

Son of God ! Ha ve mercy on us. 

Holy Ghost ! Have mercy on us, 

Jesus Christ ! hear us. 

Jesus Christ I graciously hear us, 

God the Father of Heaven ! Have mercy on us. 



The Month of Mary 269 



God the Son, Redeemer of the world! Have 

mercy on us. 
God the Holy Ghost ! Have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God I Have mercy on us. 
Heart of Mary, conceived without the 

stain of sin ! 
Heart of Mary, full of grace ! 
Heart of Mary, sanctuary of the Holy 

Trinity ! 

Heart of Mary , tabernacle of the Incar- 
nate Word ! 

Heart of Mary, after God's own Heart ! 

Heart of Mary, illustrious throne of 
glory ! 

Heart of Mary, perfect holocaust of di- | 
vine love ! ^ 

Heart of Mary, abyss of humility ! 

Heart of Mary, attached to the cross ! 

Heart of Mary, seat of mercy ! 

Heart of Mary, consolation of the af- 
flicted ! 

Heart of Mary, refuge of sinners I 
Heart of Mary, advocate of the Church, 

and Mother of all the faithful ! 
Heart of Mary, after Jesus, the most 

assured hope of the agonizing ! 
Heart of Mary, Queen of Angels and of 

Saints ! 



270 The Month of Mary 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world ! Spare us, Lord, 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world ! Hear us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world ! Have mercy on us, Lord. 

V. most sacred and amiable heart of 
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us ! 

R. That our hearts may be inflamed with 
divine love. 

Prayer. 

O God of goodness, who hast filled the holy 
and immaculate Heart of Mary with the same 
sentiments of mercy and tenderness for us, 
with which the Heart of Jesus Christ, thy Son, 
and her Son, was always overflowing ; grant 
that all who honor this Virginal Heart may 
preserve until death a perfect conformity of 
sentiments and inclination with the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus Christ, who with thee and the 
Holy Ghost, lives and reigns. One God, for- 
ever and ever. Amen. 

Aspiration. 

Mary ! Thou art light in our doubts, con- 
solation in our sorrows, and protection in 



The Month of Mary 271 



our dangers ! After the only Son, thou art the 
certain hope of faithful souls ! Hail, hope of 
the desponding, and refuge of the destitute ; 
to whom thy Son has given such power, that 
whatever thou wiliest is immediately done.— 
Blosius. 



The Litany of Loretto. 

Lord ! have mercy on us. Christ ! have mercy 
on us. 

Lord ! have mercy on us. 
Christ ! hear us : Christ ! graciously hear us. 
God the Father of Heaven ! Have mercy on 
us. 

God the Son, Kedeemer of the World ! Have 

mercy on us. 
God the Holy Ghost ! Have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God ! Have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary ! 
Holy Mother of God ! 

Holy Virgin of Virgins ! » 
Mother of Christ I ^ 
Mother of Divine Grace ! fc^ 
Mother most pure ! 
Mother most chaste ! 
Mother undefiled I 



272 The Month of 



Mother inviolate ! 
Mother most amiable I 
Mother most admirable ! 
Mother of Good Counsel ! 
Mother of our Creator ! 
Mother of our Redeemer ! 
Virgin most prudent I 
Virgin most venerable ! 
Virgin most renowned ! 
Virgin most powerful ! 
Virgin most merciful ! 
Virgin most faithful ! 
Mirror of justice ! 
Seat of wisdom ! 
Cause of our joy! 
Spiritual vessel ! 
Vessel of honor ! 
Vessel of singular devotion ! 
Mystical rose ! 
Tower of David ! 
Tower of ivory ! 
H ouse of gold ! 
Ark of the covenant ! 
Gate of heaven ! 
Morning star I 
Health of the weak ! 
Refuge of sinners ! 



I 

I 

The Month of Mary 273 

Comforter of the afflicted I 
Help of Christians ! 
Queen of Angels ! 
Queen of Patriarchs ! 

Queen of Prophets ! s 

Queen of Apostles ! ^ 

Queen of Martyrs ! t;^ 

Queen of Confessors ! ^ 

Queen of Virgins ! 

Queen of all Saints ! 

Queen conceived without original sin ! 

Queen of the Most Holy Eosary ! 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world ! Spare us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world ! Graciously hear us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world ! Have mercy on us. 
Christ hear us ! Christ ! graciously hear us. 
Lord ! have mercy on us. Christ I have mercy 

on us. Lord ! have mercy on us. 

V. Pray for us, Holy Mother of God ! 

E. That we may be made worthy of the 
promises of Christ. 

Let us pray. 



Defend, we beseech thee, Lord ! through the 



274 The Month of Mary 

intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever virgin, 
this family from all adversity ; and, as in all 
humility, they prostrate themselves before 
thee, do thou mercifully protect them against 
all the snares of their enemies; through Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. 

The Prayer of St. Bernard, 

Remember, most compassionate Virgin 
Mary ! that, from all ages, it is unheard of, 
that any one was forsaken, who, placing 
himself under thy maternal protection, im- 
plored thy assistance, and begged the favor 
of thy prayers. Animated with the confidence 
which this inspires, I fly to thee, Virgin of 
virgins, and mother of my God! and in the 
bitterness of my sorrow, I throw myself at thy 
feet. mother of the eternal Word ! despise 
not my humble supplication, but listen gra- 
ciously, and mercifully grant the request, 
which from my heart I make thee. Amen. 

A form of consecration to the 
Mother of God, used by St. 
Aloysius Gonzaga. 

Holy Mary ! my Mother and Advocate, to 
thy care, and particular protection, and into 



The Month of Mary 275 



the bosom of thy mercy, today, and every 
day, and at the hour of my death, I commend 
my soul and body; all my hope and con- 
solation, all my difficulties and afflictions, my 
life, and the end of my life, I commend to thee : 
that through thy most powerful intercession, 
and through thy merits, all my works and 
actions may be directed according to thy 
will and that of thy divine Son. Amen. 



Litany of Our Blessed Lady of 
Victory. 

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy 
on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God, the Father of Heaven, ifoye mercy on us, 
God the Son, Kedeemer of the world. Have 

mercy on us. 
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. 
Our Lady of Victory, ^ 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant ^ 

daughter of the Father, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant moth- 

er of the Son, ^ 



276 The Month of Mary 

Our Lad J of Victory, triumphant spouse 

of the Holy Ghost, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant choice 

of the Most Holy Trinity, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in 

thy Immaculate Conception, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in 

crushing the head of the serpent, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant over 

all the children of Adam, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant over 

all our enemies, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy 

embassy of the Angel Gabriel, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy 

espousal with St. Joseph, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant at the 

scene of Bethlehem, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy 

Flight into Egypt, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy 

exile, 

Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy 
humble dwelling at Nazareth, 

Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in 
finding thy Divine Child in the temple. 

Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 
earthly life of our Lord, 



The Month of Mary 277 



Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in his 

passion and death, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

Eesurrection, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

Ascension, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

descent of the Holy Ghost, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy 

sorrows, 

Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy 

joys, ^ 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in ^ 

thy entrance in the heavenly Jerusa- 

lem. ^ 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

angels who remained faithful, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

felicity of the blessed. 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

graces of the just, 
OurLady of Victory, triumphant in the 

announcement of the prophets. 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

desires of the patriarchs. 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

zeal of the apostles, 



278 The Month of Mary 

Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

light of the evangelists, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

wisdom of the doctors, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

crowns of the confessors, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

purity of the numerous band of vir- g 

gins, ^ 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the 

triumphs of the martyrs, 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in ^ 

thy all-powerful intercession. 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant under 

thy many titles. 
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant at 

the hour of our death. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world. Spare us, Lord, 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world, Graciously hear us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

the world. Have mercy on us. 
V. Pray for us, Blessed Lady of Victory ! 
R. That we may be made worthy of the 

promises of Christ. 



The Month of Mary 279 



Let us pray. 

Victorious Lady! thou who hast ever 
such powerful influence with thy Divine Son, 
in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede 
for those for whom we pray, that their hearts 
being softened by the rays of Divine Grace, 
they may return to the unity of the true 
Faith, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 



Litany of the Holy Name of Mary. 

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. 

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy, 

Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 

Son of Mary, hear us. Son of Mary, gra- 
ciously hear us. 

Heavenly Father, who hast Mary for 
Thy daughter, 

Eternal Son, who hast Mary for Thy « 
mother, ^ 

Holy Spirit, who hast Mary for Thy | 
spouse S 

Glorious Trinity, who hast Mary for ^ 
Thy handmaid, !il 

Mary, mother of the Living God, 



280 The Month of Mary 



Mary, daughter of the Light Unap- 
proachable, 
Mar J, our light, 
Mary, our sister, 
Mary, stem of Jesse, 
Mary, offspring of kings, 
Mary, best work of God, 
Mary, immaculate, 
Mary, all fair, 
Mary, Virgin Mother, 
Mary, suffering with Jesus, 
Mary, pierced with a sword, 
Mary, bereft of consolation, 
Mary, standing by the Cross, 
Mary, ocean of bitterness, 
Mary, rejoicing in God's will, 
Mary, our Lady, 
Mary, our Queen, 
Mary, bright as the sun, 
Mary, fair as the moon, 
Mary, crowned with twelve stars, 
Mary, seated on the right hand of Jesus, 
Mary, our sweetness, 
Mary, our hope, 
Mary, glory of Jerusalem, 
Mary, joy of Israel, 
Mary, honor of our people. 



The Month of Mary 281 



Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the 

world, Spare us, Lord, 
Lamb of God, w^ho takest away the sins of 

the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord, 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 

world, Have mercy on us. 

V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with 
thee. 

R. Blessed art Thou among women. 
Let us pray. 

Almighty God, who seest how earnestly 
we desire to place ourselves under the shadow 
of the name of Mary, vouchsafe, we be- 
seech Thee, that as often as we invoke her in 
our need, we may receive grace and pardon 
from Thy holy heaven, through Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



JMothcr of Grace, O JMary blest, 
Co tbcc sweet font of love we fly, 

Save us in Uf e, and take us hence, 
Co tby dear bosom, wben we die. 

O Ifcsus, born of Tirgln brigbt, 
Immortal glory be to Cbee, 

praise to the father Infinite, 
Hnd Roly Ghost eternally. 



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